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Five  Years  a  Dragoon 

('49  TO  '54.) 

AND  OTHER  ADVENTURES  ON 
THE  GREAT  PLAINS. 


BY 

PERCIVAL  G.   LOWE. 


kan8as  city,  mo.: 

The  Fbanklin  Hudson  Publishing  Co. 

1906. 


Copyright  1906, 
By  PERCIVAL  G.  LOWE. 


now 


I  IHRARY 

F5"?3 
)9o6 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  MAJOR  DAVID  H.   HASTINGS,   U.  S.  A., 
WHO  DIED  IN  RETIREMENT  AT  HIS  HOME  IN  BATH,  NEW 
YORK,  TO  WHOM  I  OWE  MORE  THAN  TO  ANY  OTHER 
FOR  HIS  KINDLY  GUIDANCE  IN  MY  YOUTH  AND 
INEXPERIENCE     WHILE     SERVING     UNDER 
HIM,  AND  WHOSE  FRIENDLY  CARE  LED 
ME  THROUGH  THE   GREATEST  DIF- 
FICULTIES,   THIS     VOLUME    IS 
GRATEFULLY  DEDICATED 
BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/fiveyearsdragoonOOIowerich 


PEEFACE. 


At  the  close  of  a  busy  life,  interspersed  with  exciting 
adventures,  I  find  myself  living  in  the  past  enjoying  the 
recollections  of  old  comrades  and  business  associates,  the 
scenes  in  which  we  mingled  in  early  manhood,  the  bivouac 
under  the  blue  sky,  the  faithful  vigil  of  the  weary  sentinel 
for  the  safety  of  all. 

The  living  who  know  of  the  truthfulness  of  statements 
herein  made  are  few,  but  the  records  live. 

Always  blessed  with  a  good  memory,  it  seemed  to  be 
renewed — to  come  to  my  assistance,  as,  step  by  step,  I  travel 
the  old  roads  and  recount  the  incidents  of  long  ago. 

Fortunately  I  kej>t  an  accurate  daily  journal  of  some  of 
the  campaigns  of  which  I  write,  and  have  only  to  copy 
extracts,  brief,  but  comprehensive  enough  without  being 
too  voluminous. 

My  recollection  of  Fort  Riley  were  first  embodied  in 
an  address  delivered  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical 
Society.  Referring  to  this  address  I  received  many  letters 
of  congratulation  and  approval.  The  Journal  of  the 
United  States  Cavalry  Association  did  me  the  honor  to 
publish  it  and  a  number  of  Army  friends  signified  their 
approval  and  urged  me  to  write  more,  which  I  did  with 
considerable  reluctance,  mistrusting  my  ability;  the  Jour- 


nal  continued  to  encourage  me  and  publish  my  articles  and 
the  result,  with  all  of  its  imperfections,  is  here  given  to 
the  world.  Whatever  may  be  its  fate  in  the  hands  of  civil- 
ians, I  earnestly  hope  that  it  may  be  read  by  soldiers,  who 
may  find  some  consolation  in  comparing  their  present  com- 
fortable homes,  pay  and  emoluments  with  what  soldiers  en- 
joyed fifty  years  ago. 

The  stories  here  told,  the  scenes  and  incidents  referred 
to,  will  never  be  repeated. 

The  great  plains  have  been  transformed  into  cultivated 
fields  producing  food  for  millions  and  sending  to  the  mar- 
kets of  the  world  the  finest  animals  known  to  the  meat- 
consuming  nations  of  the  earth.  The  wild  herds  and  sav- 
age men  have  all  passed  away,  never  to  return.  Instead 
of  the  wigwam  we  have  the  modern  home,  farm,  factory, 
school  and  church — instead  of  savage  isolation  and  war,  the 
railroad,  telegraph,  telephone,  rural  mail  delivery,  and  the 
highest  intelligence  and  refinement  known  to  civilization. 

P.  G.  Lowe,  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 
December  25,  1905,  the  fifty-sixth  anniversary  of  my 
arrival  at  Fort  Leavenworth. 


PART  I. 


HAD  been  raised  on  a  farm 
until  fifteen ;  had  been  news- 
boy and  sold  papers 
about  the  streets  of 
Low  ell, 
Mass.; 
had  been 
I  three 
r years 
a  sailor, 
including 
a  whaling  voyage,  and  learned  the  daguerreotype  busi- 
ness in  the  gallery  of  Mr.  Plumb  on  Washington  Street, 
Boston,  and  became  a  first-class  operator.  I  was  a  per- 
sistent reader  of  voyages,  travels,  campaigns,  explora- 
tions and  history,  and  novels  such  as  Marryat's,  Coop- 
er's, Scott's,  etc.,  and  the  spirit  of  adventure  was  so 
strong  that  I  determined  to  enlist  in  the  mounted  service, 
which  was  sure  to  place  me  on  the  great  plains  of  the 
West,  among  Indians,  buffaloes,  and  other  big  game,  and 
the  mountaineers  and  trappers  of  whom  I  had  read  so 
much.  Fremont's  Narrative  of  1843-4,  and  Captain  Bon- 
neville's Adventures  gave  the  finishing  touches  to  my 
inclination.  It  seemed  to  me  that  five  years  in  this  kind 
of  field  would  round  out  my  education,  so  to  speak,  and 
if  I  lived  would  then  be  readv  to  settle  down  to  some- 
thing permanently. 


6  ftVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOOtf. 

Having  determined"  upon  this  course,  I  presented  my- 
self at  the  recruiting  office  in  Boston,  giving  my  occupation 
as  a  farmer.  The  recruiting  officer,  Major  Sibley,  of  the 
Second  Dragoons,  thought  that  I  was  not  twenty-one,  and 
by  my  general  appearance  not  a  farmer — did  not  look  like 
one,  and  did  not  dress  like  a  young  man  just  off  the  farm. 
I  told  him  that  I  was  born  on  the  2§th  of  September,  1828, 
hence,  this  being  the  16th  of  October,  18-19,  I  had  a  safe 
margin  of  eighteen  days.  The  Major  assured  me  this  was 
probably  the  least  funny  business  I  would  ever  attempt; 
"And,  mark  me,  young  man/'  said  he,  "if  you  take  this 
step  you  will  regret  it  only  once,  and  that  will  be  from  the 
time  you  become  acquainted  with  your  position  until  you 
get  out  of  it;  and  another  thing,  a  large  percentage  of  men 
never  return  to  their  friends.  If  you  have  no  friends  you 
ought  to  have,  and  if  for  any  reason  you  want  to  hide  your- 
self from  the  world,  try  something  from  which  you  can  free 
yourself  if  you  so  desire.    You  may  come  back  to-morrow." 

I  was  not  pleased  at  the  thought  of  forcing  myself  into 
trouble  in  spite  of  the  admonition  given  me,  and  spent  an 
anxious  night,  but  brushed  all  aside  in  the  morning,  and 
assured  the  Major  that  I  hoped  he  would  accept  me;  and 
by  way  of  recommending  myself,  informed  him  that  I  was 
not  only  a  farmer,  but  had  been  three  years  at  sea,  giving 
him  something  of  my  seafaring  experience.  He  admitted 
that  a  man  who  could  stand  all  of  that  might  have  some 
show  as  a  soldier,  and  I  was  accepted. 

My  descriptive  roll  said  twenty-one  years,  five  feet 
eleven  inches  high,  dark-complexioned,  dark  brown  hair, 
gray  eyes,  weight  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds,  and 
in  perfect  health. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON-  7 

I  gave  a  large  trunk  full  of  clothes  to  the  recruiting  ser- 
geant, who  was  just  my  size,  and  in  return  he  had  the 
tailor  fit  for  me  two  complete  suits -of.  fatigue  uniform  and 
an  overcoat.  I  retained  a  large  valise,  with  its  contents — 
books — with  which  I  would  not  part  until  compelled  to.  I 
was.  therefore,  well  clothed,  and  had  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars  in  money,  which  no  one  suspected. 
It  proved  a  great  convenience  to  be  able  to  buy  something 
good  to  eat  for  myself  and  one  or  two  modest  greenhorns 
who  had  not  learned  to  quench  thirst,  subdue  hunger,  and 
otherwise  obliterate  their  misery  with  whiskey. 

Unlike  the  recruits  of  to-day,  the  fact  that  a  man  would 
get  drunk  was  no  bar  to  his  enlistment,  and  his  moral  char- 
acter was  of  little  interest.  Once  enlisted,  the  proper  au- 
thorities would  attend  to  the  rest.  Being  physically  all 
right,  his  habits  cut  little  figure.  Family  trouble,  disap- 
pointment in  love,  riots  and  personal  difficulties,  making 
one  amenable  to  the  law,  often  caused  men  to  enlist  who 
proved  to  be  the  best  of  soldiers.  In  my  troop  there  were  men 
isolating  themselves  from  society  for  all  sorts  of  reasons. 
A  man  drunk  would  not  be  enlisted;  but  however  tough 
looking,  if  he  were  sober  at  the  time  of  presenting  himself, 
and  physically  able,  he  would  pass.  Uniformity  of  size  was 
not  considered.  In  my  troop  one  man  weighed  one  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  was  five  feet  four,  while  several  were 
above  six  feet  and  weighed  from  two  hundred  to  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds.  Endurance  was  the 
test;  all  else  was  waived. 

A  few  days  after  enlisting  I  was  sent,  with  fifteen 
others,  via  New  York  (where  as  many  more  joined  us)  tc 
Carlisle  Barracks,  Pa.,  then  a  school  for  mounted  service 


g  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

recruits — First  and  Second  Dragoons  and  Mounted  Rifles — 
all  of  which  were  stationed  at  various  points  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  Texas,  New  Mexico,  or  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

At  Carlisle  there  were  two  troops — A  and  B.  I  was 
assigned  to  A.  Colonel  Philip  St.  George  Cooke  commanded 
the  post;  Lieutenant  D.  H.  Hastings  was  adjutant.  There 
were  several  West  Point  graduates  brevet  second  lieutenants 
— who  were  waiting  assignment  or  an  opportunity  to  join 
the  regiment  to  which  already  assigned.  All  of  the  non- 
commissioned officers  were  Mexican  War  veterans,  and  at 
Carlisle  because  of  their  supposed  special  fitness  to  disci- 
pline recruits. 

It  fell  to  my  lot  to  drill  under  Lieutenant  Beverly  Rob- 
ertson, late  major-general  in  the  Confederate  Army.  He 
was,  to  my  fancy,  a  splendid  man;  gentle,  firm,  persistent, 
never  seeming  to  lose  patience,  yet  never  yielding  to  any- 
thing short  of  the  most  perfect  performance  possible  of  the 
movement  undertaken.  Carbine  and  saber  drill  came  in 
the  forenoon,  on  foot,  and  mounted  drill  in  the  afternoon. 
As  a  boy,  I  had  good  horses  to  ride.  The  prediction  that 
I  would  sooner  or  later  have  my  neck  broken,  was  believed 
by  most  of  the  careful  mothers  in  my  neighborhood,  and 
youngsters  were  forbidden  to  ride  with  that  ecLowe  boy." 
This  is  about  the  way  all  boys  with  energy  enough  to  enjoy 
life  are  looked  upon. 

Horses  were  kept  for  use  in  drilling,  and  among  them 
a  beautiful  bay,  apparently  gentle,  bright  eyes,  long  thin 
neck,  fine  head,  high  withers,  fine  sinewy  legs,  and  stand- 
ing out  by  himself  a  perfect  picture  of  a  horse.  I  chose 
him  when  we  came  to  drill,  and  he  was  assigned  to  me. 
The  man  in  charge  of  the  stable  said  that  he  would  run 


FTVE  YEAR8  A  DRAGOON.  9 

away,  and  had  thrown  several  men,  but  I  thought  this  an 
attempt  to  frighten  a  recruit.  Commencing  with  mounting 
bareback,  then  with  saddles  and  crossed  stirrups,  and  go- 
ing through  the  evolutions  at  a  walk,  in  a  few  days  quite 
a  squad,  perhaps  twenty,  had  advanced  so  that  they  were, 
while  still  riding  with  crossed  stirrups,  drilled  at  a  trot, 
and  then  at  a  gentle  gallop.  At  the  command  "gallop" 
my  horse,  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do,  ran  across  the  parade- 
ground,  and  out  towards  the  town.  I  could  turn  him,  but 
could  not  check  his  speed.  Here  and  there  I  went,  turn- 
ing at  pleasure,  but  failing  to  check  him.  Finally  I  turned 
toward  a  plank  fence,  thinking  I  might  stop  him  there,  but 
the  fence  did  not  bother  him  a  bit — over  he  went,  and  with 
scarcely  a  heart-beat,  kept  on,  going  over  the  fence  on  the 
other  side,  and  then  off  like  the  wind.  At  last  I  got  headed 
towards  the  squad,  standing  at  rest,  ran  into  it  and  stopped. 
Lieutenant  Eobertson  had  sent  the  non-commissioned  offi- 
cers to  look  for  me,  but 'they  could  scarcely  keep  in  sight. 
An  order  was  issued  forbidding  the  use  of  this  horse  ("Mu- 
rat")  by  any  of  the  recruits.  Of  course,  everybody  at  the 
post  talked  about  it,  and  a  witty  Irishman  wrote  a  parody 
on  "John  Gilpin's  Kide,"  in  which  the  recruit  and  his 
steed  were  shown  up  in  humorous  style. 

The  following  Sunday,  having  invited  two  friends — 
Wagner  and  O'Shea — to  breakfast  with  me  at  the  "Little 
Brick  House"  just  out  of  the  post,  we  had  agreed  to  go 
direct  from  the  parade-ground  when  dismissed  from  inspec- 
tion. We  took  no  breakfast  at  mess  except  a  cup-  of  coffee, 
and  saved  our  appetites  for  the  feast.  I  had  arranged  with 
the  man  who  kept  the  place  to  have  fried  chicken  and  nec- 
essary accompaniments.      We  looked  forward  to  our  ten 


10  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

o'clock  breakfast  with  pleasant  anticipations.  Wagner  was 
a  Kentuckian,  about  thirty-three  years  of  age  and  well  edu- 
cated. He  had  met  with  business  reverses  in  Louisville, 
and  after  going  to  New  York  to  straighten  out  his  affairs 
met  with  so  much  discouragement  he  concluded  to  enlist. 
He  wanted  to  hide  himself  from  all  his  friends  and  have 
time  to  think,  as  he  said,  without  restraint.  O'Shea  was 
about  twenty-five,  came  to  New  York  after  the  Irish  riots 
of  1848.  Found  himself  among  strangers,  without  money, 
and  believing  the  Army  was  the  place  for  him,  enlisted. 
I  never  knew  a  handsomer  man  or  more  perfect  gentlemen. 
The  parade  over,  we  went  to  breakfast.  I  sat  at  the 
end  of  the  table  with  my  two  friends  on  either  side.  The 
breakfast  was  before  us  and  I  about  to  serve,  when  in  came 
a  noisy  band  of  ruffians,  swearing  and  making  themselves 
generally  disagreeable.  The  leader,  or  chief  bully,  six  feet 
two  inches  high — a  giant  weighing  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  pounds — came  straight  to  our  table  and  said :  "Here, 
b'ys,  is  a  fdine  lay-out;  here,  Tom,  take  a  leg;  here  Jimmy, 
take  a  wing;  here,  Slathery,  take  the  breast  that  ye 're  so 
fond  of,"  as  he  proceeded  to  take  in  his  dirty  fingers  the 
parts  named  and  pass  them  to  his  friends.  Not  a  word 
was  spoken  by  our  party,  but  about  the  time  the  dish  was 
nearly  empty,  seeing  my  astonished  look,  the  bully  said 
to  me,  in  a  sneering  sort  of  tone,  "Ye 're  a  foine  child, 
sure."  Then  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  drew  my  saber  and 
went  for  him  with  all  the  venom  and  fury  of  which  I  was 
possessed — cut  and  thrust.  The  fact  that  the.  saber  had  a 
dull  edge,  as  all  sabers  had  at  that  time,  accounts  for  his 
not  being  killed.  His  companions  tried  to  save  him,  and 
two  of  them  received  scars  on  account  of  it.    My  two  friends 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  XI 

drew  their  sabers  and  vowed  to  kill  any  one  who  interfered, 
and  I  pounded  the  howling  wretch  until  he  lay  prostrate, 
begging  for  his  life,  and  I  was  exhausted.  From  that  day 
to  this  I  have  never  ceased  to  be  thankful  that  I  did  not 
kill  the  poor  unfortunate  creature,  and  in  my  thankfulness 
he  was  fully  forgiven.  A  file  of  the  guard  came  at  "double 
quick."  "The  recruits  are  killing  each  other,"  was  the  cry. 
The  officer  of  the  day,  Lieutenant  Fields,  came  just  as  the 
guard  was  about  to  take  all  hands  to  the  guard-house,  and 
took  things  coolly.  The  first  move  was  to  send  "Big  Mit," 
as  he  was  called,  to  the  hospital,  covered  from  head  to  foot 
with  cuts  and  bruises.  It  took  all  of  his  party  of  ruffians, 
half-drunk  as  they  were,  to  carry  him  off.  A  file  of  the 
guard  went  along,  and  when  "Mit"  was  deposited  in  the 
hospital  his  friends  were  confined  in  the  guard-house.  Wag- 
ner and  the  man  who  kept  the  place  explained  the  affair 
to  Lieutenant  Fields,  who  directed  us  to  stay  and  get  our 
breakfast  and  then  report  to  First  Sergeant  Smart;  the 
sergeant  of  the  guard  was  to  take  charge  of  us  until  that 
time,  but  not  to  take  us  to  the  guard-house  without  further 
orders.  We  were  too  much  wrought  up  to  enjoy  break- 
fast, and  I  told  the  lieutenant  (the  first  words  I  had  spoken 
during  the  whole  affair)  that  we  would  go  now.  Under 
guard  we  went,  and  the  story  was  told  in  full  and  written 
down.  The  ruffians  were  also  interviewed  and  did  not 
deny  the  outrage,  but  said  they  had  not  intended  to  have 
any  trouble,  which  was  doubtless  true,  for  the  same  gang 
had  terrorized  everybody  that  came  in  their  way.  Every 
new  batch  of  recruits  must  be  hazed  and  bulldozed;  to  re- 
sist was  to  be  knocked  down,  kicked  and  adorned  with  a 
black  eye.  These  three  innocent-looking  fellows  were  the 


12  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

first  real  snags  they  had  struck.  The  doctor  reported  "Mit" 
not  necessarily  dangerously  wounded,  but  that  he  was  badly 
bruised  about  the  head,  hands  and  arms.  The  adjutant  was 
present  with  Lieutenant  Fields,  and  wrote  a  report  of  the 
affair.  When  the  whole  matter  was  explained  to  the  com- 
manding officer,  the  guard  was  withdrawn  from  Wagner, 
O'Shea  and  myself,  and  that  ended  the  matter  so  far  as  we 
were  concerned. 

But  I  was  getting  too  much  notoriety  and  it  troubled 
me.  I  had  no  taste  for  the  sort  of  heroism  growing  out  of 
brawls  and  fights.  I  had  never  made  intimates  easily,  and 
now  I  shrank  from  the  curiosity  seekers  who  wanted  to 
O'Shea  and  myself,  and  that  ended  the  matter  so  far  as 
we  were  concerned. 

At  Carlisle  quite  a  number  of  the  best  behaved  men 
were  retained  to  do  regular  duty,  as  in  a  company.  They 
were  called  "the  permanent  party."  Of  course  they  were 
liable  to  be  sent  away  to  join  some  troop  in  one  of  the 
mounted  regiments.  A  large  percentage  of  them  were  made 
"lance"  non-commissioned  officers — corporals  or  sergeants. 
Some  men  served  there  for  years.  The  chances  seemed  good 
for  all  of  us  to  stay  all  winter,  in  which  case  a  large  gar- 
rison would  accumulate.  I  grew  depressed  at  this  pros- 
pect. But  finally  an  order  came  to  send  seventy-four  men 
to  Fort  Leavenworth  for  the  First  Dragoons — sixteen  for  K, 
then  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  thirty-four  for  F,  then  at  Fort 
Scott,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  south  of  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, and  twenty-four  for  B,  three  hundred  miles  west  of 
Fort  Leavenworth,  at  Fort  Kearney. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON-  13 

It  was  the  rule  at  Carlisle  to  send  off  all  the  troublesome 
characters  with  each  batch  going  to  join  troops.  This  was 
probably  the  last  chance  to  unload  this  class  before  spring, 
and  a  dozen  or  more  of  them  were  booked,  including  my 
friend  "Big  Mit"  and  his  gang.  Lieutenant  Fields  was  to 
go  in  command  of  the  seventy-four.  "Mit"  came  from  the 
hospital,  head  bandaged  and  right  hand  in  a  sling.'  His 
comrades  fell  in  from  the  guard-house.  When  the  roll  was 
called  I  found  myself,  "Big  Mit"  and  one  of  his  comrades 
of  the  same  name  (a  smaller  but  more  vicious  man)  in  B 
Troop.  I  was  not  pleased,  but  said  nothing.  Wagner,  to 
whom  I  had  ]>ecome  attached  (a  man  so  superior  that  daily 
association  with  him  was  a  positive  pleasure  and  a  great  ad- 
vantage to  me),  was  assigned  to  K  and  O'Shea  to  B  Troop. 

We  went  from  Carlisle  to  Harrisburg  by  rail,  thence  by 
canal  boat  to  a  point  in  the  Alleghanies  where  a  railroad 
ran  over  the  mountain,  the  motive  power  being  a  station- 
ary engine  on  top  of  it.  We  marched  from  where  we  left 
the  canal  boat,  over  the  mountains  to  St.  Johnsberg  on 
the  other  side,  and  there  took  canal  boat  to  Pittsburg, 
thence  by  steamboat  to  St.  Louis,  where  we  transferred 
to  another  boat,  the  Haidee,  to  go  up  the  Missouri  River. 
This,  we  all  hoped,  would  be  our  last  change,  and  in  a 
week  we  should  land  at  Fort  Leavenworth. 

Not  far  above  St.  Louis,  after  several  days  of  hard  strug- 
gle with  the  ice,  our  boat  was  frozen  in  at  Portland,  Mis- 
souri: and  now  we  were  told  that  the  way  the  country  roads 
then  ran,  we  were  three  hundred  miles  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth. The  country  was  covered  with  snow  and  ice.  For 
two  weeks  we  had  been  on  canal  and  steamboat,  with  no  ex- 


14  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

ercise,  and  were  in  no  condition  to  march.  From  Portland 
to  Fulton  was  nineteen  miles,  over  rough  hills,  with  no 
place  between  the  two  towns  to  stop,  so  that  we  must  walk 
all  of  that  distance  the  first  day.  A  couple  of  wagons  were 
hired  to  haul  our  baggage.  A  few  men  rode  in  the  wagons. 
"Mit"  was  recovering  from  his  injuries  rapidly,  but  he  rode. 
Wagner  and  I  arrived  at  Fulton  at  dark,  but  many  did  not 
get  in  until  very  late.  The  icy  roads  had  exhausted  me. 
The  long  one-story  hotel  had  a  long  dining-room  table  with 
plenty  to  eat — a  whole  prairie  chicken  for  each  man — but 
not  a  mouthful  could  I  eat.  I  doubled  my  blanket,  spread 
it  on  the  floor  in  one  corner,  took  off  my  shoes  and  lay  down 
with  all  my  clothes  on,  including  overcoat.  I  was  too  fear- 
fully weary  to  rest  well,  on  the  hard  oak  floor,  but  was  as- 
tonished at  my  improved  condition  in  the  morning.  I 
really  enjoyed  the  breakfast. 

The  second  day,  from  Fulton  to  Millersburg,  was  twelve 
miles.  Snow  fell  all  day,  but  the  roads  were  better,  weather 
milder,  and  we  did  not  suffer  so  much.  We  were  scattered 
about  the  little  village,  myself  and  half  a  dozen  others  at  a 
comfortable  brick  house  with  good  fireplaces.  I  asked  the 
good  lady  for  hot  water  and  some  towels,  and  after  a  delight- 
ful bath,  put  on  clean  clothes,  ate  a  good  4  o'clock  dinner, 
and  slept  in  a  good  bed,  where  every  time  I  woke  I  could 
see  the  bright  fire.  Oh,  how  I  enjoyed  that  night!  In  the 
morning  my  troubles  had  vanished;  but  how  I  did  hate  to 
leave  this  good  home  to  launch  out  again  on  the  ice  and 
snow !  But  there  was  no  more  trouble  from  this  point  to 
the  end  of  the  journey.  I  was  sometimes  cold,  and  endured 
many  inconveniences,  but  never  complained,  and  was  never 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


15 


tired  after  the  second  day.  Wagner,  O'Shea  and  I  nearly 
always  closed  the  day's  journey  ahead  of  the  others.  If  we 
wanted  a  lunch  we  bought  it.  We  could  buy  a  pair  of  home- 
made woolen  socks  at  almost  any  farm  house,  and  not  a  day 
passed  that  I  did  not  give  one  or  more  pairs  to  some  sufferer. 

I  do  not  remember  all  of  our  route  through  the  grand 
old  State  of  Missouri,  nor  every  stopping  place.  Some  of 
them  were  Fulton,  Millersburg,  Boonville,  Columbia,  Mar- 
shall, Lexington,  ITambrights,  Independence  and  Westport. 

At  Grinter's  Ferry  crossing  of  the  Kaw  Eiver,  the  old 
ferryman  and  his  wife  lived  on  the  south  side.  He  was  an 
old  soldier  and  fond  of  talking,  and  while  we  waited  until 
all  caught  up,  he  explained  that  the  Military  Road  that  we 
had  come  into  between  the  ferry  and  Westport,  ran  south  to 
Fort  Scott,  about  one  hundred  miles,  and  thence  to  Fort 
Gibson  and  other  points  south,  and  after  crossing  the  ferry 
ran  west  of  north  twenty-two  miles  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 

We  crossed  the  ferry  towards  evening,  and  Mr.  Mundy, 
government  blacksmith  for  the  Delaware  Indians,  furnished 
us  a  good  supper.  And  what  a  managing  housekeeper  Mrs. 
Mundy  must  have  been.  Seventy-five  hungry  men  were  fur- 
nished a  supper  they  could  never  forget,  and  not  one  failed 
to  have  plenty.  To  this  day  I  remember  how  delicious  the 
biscuits  were,  and  then  we  had  honey  with  them;  and  the 
venison,  ham  and  coffee !  Just  think  of  it !  A  lot  of  rough 
fellows  meeting  such  a  feast,  I  felt  sorry  for  Mrs.  Mundy, 
but  there  seemed  no  end  to  her  supplies.  Isaac  Mundy  and 
his  wife  were  born  in  Virginia  and  married  there.  He  was 
a  great  hunter ;  accidently  shot  himself,  and  was  buried 
with  Masonic  honors  at  White  Church,  in  Wyandotte  Conn- 


16  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

ty,  Kansas,  February  27,  1858.  At  the  request  of  the  In- 
dians he  was  buried  at  the  foot  of  the  grave  of  Chief  Ket- 
chum.  Mrs.  Mundy  raised  a  good  family  of  seven  children 
— four  daughters  and  three  sons.  All  except  one  married 
and  raised  families,  and  they  are  among  the  best  and  most 
prosperous  people  of  Platte  County,  Mo.  Mrs.  Mundy  is 
living  with  her  daughter  and  son-in-law,  Hon.  Lot  W. 
Eingo,  of  Weston.     She  is  nearly  ninety  years  old.* 

The  Mundys  accommodated  all  that  they  could  in  the 
house,  and  a  lot  of  us  occupied  an  old  storeroom  boarded 
up  and  down,  wide  cracks  in  sides  and  floor.  We  shivered, 
but  did  not  sleep.  It  was  the  24th  of  December  and  cold, 
with  plenty  of  snow  on  the  ground — certainly  a  dreary 
Christmas  Eve — and  a  hard  freezing  night.  At  midnight 
we  came  out  and  huddled  around  a  big  fire  until  break- 
fast. Some  of  the  men  kept  it  burning  all  night.  The 
breakfast  was  a  duplicate  of  the  supper,  and  the  Indian 
girl  who  waited  on  me  at  both  meals,  wearing  a  clean 
calico  dress,  looked  charming. 

This  was  expected  to  be  our  last  meal  until  we  reached 
Fort  Leavenworth,  but  we  heard  such  good  accounts  of  the 
fort  that  there  was  no  complaint,  and  the  prospect  of  any 
kind  of  a  home  kept  all  in  good  humor. 

Interesting  incidents  of  this  trip  by  rail,  by  canal  boats, 
by  steamboats,  and  on  foot,  were  numerous,  and  the  oppor- 
tunity to  study  human  nature  excellent.  I  had  a  hundred 
dollars  on  leaving  Carlisle,  and  do  not  think  there  were 
twenty-five  dollars  more  with  the  whole  party,  except  what 
Corporal  Wood  and  Lieutenant  Fields  had.     A  few  who  had 

*Afrs.  Mundy  died  a  year  after  this  article  was  published  in  the  Journal. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  17 

been  at  Carlisle  some  time  and  had  been  paid  off,  possessed 
a  dollar  or  two,  and  as  a  canteen  could  be  filled  with  whisk- 
ey for  twenty-five  cents,  there  was  enough  to  make  a  good 
deal  of  noise  and  get  up  a  fight  once  in  a  while.  It  was  for- 
tunate that  there  was  no  more  money  among  the  tough  ele- 
ment (about  twenty),  who  made  all  the  trouble,  did  nearly 
all  of  the  complaining,  and  caused  all  of  the  complaints 
from  citizens  along  the  road. 

As  I  look  back  after  long  years  of  experience,  I  think 
that  no  young  officer  could  have  managed  better  than  did 
Lieutenant  Fields,  with  the  assistance  of  Corporal  Wood. 
He  had  graduated  the  previous  June  from  West  Point  and 
reported  at  Carlisle  in  the  fall,  hence  this  was  his  first  "cam- 
paign," and  I  venture  to  say  that  throughout  his  active  In- 
dian campaigns  in  Texas  and  elsewhere,  his  experience  as  a 
general  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  in  the  service  of  the 
Khedive  of  Egypt  after  the  Civil  War,  he  never  had  a  more 
trying  trip  than  this.  Throughout  all  of  it  he  showed  the 
utmost  good  judgment  and  common  sense,  with  which  he 
was  abundantly  blessed.  Corporal  Wood  had  been  a  pork 
packer  in  Louisville,  where  he  failed  in  business.  He  en- 
listed in  the  First  Dragoons  and  served  through  the  Mexi- 
can War.  He  had  but  six  months  to  serve,  and  wanting  to  be 
discharged  as  far  west  as  possible,  was  sent  out  with  us.  He 
was  a  fine  clerk ;  understood  government  accounts,  and  was 
fully  competent  to  act  as  commissary  and  quartermaster 
for  our  detachment.  It  was  all  plain  sailing  on  canal  boats 
and  steamboats,  where  he  managed  to  give  us  fairly  good 
meals  for  the  small  government  allowance,  and  no  man 
had  just  cause  to  complain.     He  was  a  determined,  lion- 


18  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

hearted  men,  who  would  brook  no  nonsense,  and  on  two 
occasions  settled  rows  and  insolent  complaints  with  a  cluh. 
the  moral  effect  of  which  was  to  insure  quiet,  peace  and 
fairly  good  order.  He  was  that  peculiar  type  of  man  who 
would  have  commanded  as  completely  as  a  private  as  he 
would  as  a  captain.  While  gentle  and  soft  of  voice,  no 
man  could  be  intimate  with  him  without  his  consent. 

When  we  took  the  steamer  at  St.  Louis,  Lieutenant 
Fields  said  to  Wood:  "Well,  barring  accidents,  Corporal, 
we  should  have  little  trouble  from  here  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth." When  we  became  frozen  up  at  Portland  a  hard 
problem  was  before  him.  The  whole  face  of  the  country 
was  covered  with  snow  and  ice.  As  the  miserable  roads, 
then  ran,  the  distance  was  estimated  to  be  about  three 
hundred  miles  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  country  thinly  settled 
and  towns  wide  apart.  We  must  be  on  the  road  about 
twenty  days,  and  how  was  he  to  subsist  us  ?  Corporal  Wood 
had  saved  his  money  during  his  four  and  a  half  years'  ser- 
vice, mostly  as  clerk,  and  now  revealed  to  Fields  the  fact 
that  he  had  considerable,  and  it  was  settled  that  he  should 
furnish  the  command  necessary  subsistence,  arrange  for 
Lieutenant  Fields  to  give  vouchers  wherever  they  would  be 
acceptable,  and  pay  his  own  money  when  necessary,  taking 
proper  vouchers  for  his  own  protection.  He  bought  a  cheap 
horse,  rode  ahead  each  day  and  made  arrangements  in  town 
or  village  or  on  plantation  to  feed  us — dinner  at  the  end  of 
the  day's  march,  and  breakfast,  and  to  furnish  the  best 
lodging  practicable.  We  had  an  abundance  of  everything 
that  the  country  through  which  we  passed  afforded.  Our 
sleeping  accommodations  were  necessarily  poor  in  some 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON-  19 

places,  on  plantations  where  there  was  not  room  in  the 
houses,  hut  the  people  throughout  the  journey  were  very 
kind,  and  none  of  us  would  have  gone  hungry  if  there 
had  been  no  pay  in  it.  After  our  arrival  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Wood  told  me  that  his  vouchers  were  all  paid. 

Lieutenant  Fields  bought  a  fine  horse  as  we  came  by 
Cincinnati,  but  seldom  rode  him,  nearly  always  giving  a 
ride  to  some  weary  straggler.  Some  men  were  always  rid- 
ing in  the  wagon;  probably  half  of  them  rode  more  or  less 
during  the  trip,  and  it  was  noticeable  that,  while  a  few  rode 
for  want  of  good  shoes,  the  tough  gang,  from  temporary 
illness,  caused  by  whiskey,  did  the  most  of  the  riding,  while 
the  fellows  who  made  no  noise,  walked  without  complain- 
ing. Of  course,  the  non-commissioned  officers  were  "lance," 
made  for  the  trip,  chief  among  them  being  the  acting  first 
sergeant.  He  had  been  at  Carlisle  some  time;  was  believed 
to  have  been  a  deserter  from  the  British  army  in  Canada; 
at  any  rate  he  had  been  a  British  soldier,  and  was  an  all- 
around  brute — big,  burly  and  noisy.  He  was  quite  efficient 
among  toughs,  but  could  be  induced  to  "let  up"  for  a  bottle 
of  whiskey.  However,  I  had  escaped  his  special  notice,  in 
my  quiet  way,  and  had  nothing  to  complain  of,  but  was 
glad  he  was  going  to  K  instead  of  B  Troop. 

And  now,  on  this  beautiful  Christmas  Day,  about  8 
o'clock,  we  left  the  ferry,  our  kind  host  and  his  family, 
on  our  last  day's  march — twenty-two  miles  to  Fort  Leav- 
enworth. Up  over  the  Wyandotte  hills,  past  a  few  Indian 
cabins,  out  upon  the  prairie  by  the  military  road;  and  ex- 
cept that  it  was  sloppy,  caused  by  the  melting  snow  in  the 
afternoon,  marching  was  good.    We  had  been  cautioned  not 


20 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


to  stroll  on  ahead,  as  we  had  heretofore  been  permitted  to 
do,  hut  to  keep  near  together  so  as  to  march  into  the  gar- 
rison in  good  order.  Edward  Brydon  was  our  trumpeter — 
and  perfection  in  his  Kne — an  Irishman  by  birth,  printer 
by  trade,  now  entering  upon  his  third  enlistment,  and  re- 
turning to  Troop  B,  from  which  he  had  been  twice  hon- 


Sumfer  Place,  Looking  Northwest  (1865). 

orably  discharged.  He  had  tried  to  live  out  of  the  army, 
but  his  good  nature  and  convivial  habits  brought!  him  back. 
He  was  loyal  to  his  troop,  had  served  under  Captain  E. 
V.  Sumner,  then  lieutenant-colond,  commanding  Fort 
Leavenworth,  and  thought  him  a  great  captain;  did  not 
know  the  present  captain,  and  did  not  expect  to  find  many 
of  his  old  friends  in  the  troop.    I  liked  "Old  Ned,"  as  he 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  21 

was  called,  always  kind  and  intelligent.  He  assured  me 
that  B  was  the  best  troop  in  the  service.  I  had  occasion 
to  do  him  a  few  little  favors  on  the  trip,  which  he  never 
forgot,  and  as  we  walked  along  together  that  day  he  pointed 
out  the  lay  of  the  country,  the  location  of  Indian  tribes — 
the  Shawnees  south  of  the  Kaw  River  where  we  crossed, 
the  Wyandottes  in  the  forks  of  the  Kaw  and  Missouri,  the 
L>elawares  west  of  the  Wyandottes  and  the  little  band 
of  Muncies  just  below  the  Fort  where  is  now  Mount  Mun- 
cie  Cemetery  and  the  Soldiers'  Home,  and  the  Kickapoos 
west  of  the  Fort  in  Salt  Creek  Valley.  Pilot  Knob,  stand- 
ing out  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  plain,  five  miles 
south  of  the  Fori  was  in  sight  early  in  the  day,  but  it  took 
us  a  long  time  to  get  east  of  it.  Six  miles  south  of  the 
post,  on  high  ground,  stood  a  one-room  log  cabin,  and  in 
the  door,  completely  filling  it  from  side  to  side  and  top  to 
bottom,  like  a  picture  in  a  frame,  stood  a  big  Delaware 
Indian  woman.  She  smilingly  scanned  the  ranks  for  some 
one  she  knew,  when  Brydon  said:  "By  the  holy  horn 
spoons,  there  's  Indian  Mary !"  and  he  went  up  and  shook 
hands  with  her.  She  had  from  time  to  time  been  a  ser- 
vant in  some  of  the  officers'  families,  had  grown  old 
in  the  service,  and  was  well  liked. 

And  now  the  nag  at  the  Fort  was  plainly  in  sight.  We 
crossed  Five  Mile  Creek  (in  measuring  the  military  road 
from  Fort  Leavenworth  the  starting-point  was  the  flag 
staff  and  the  creeks  and  landmarks  wTere  spoken  of  as  so 
many  miles  from  that  point),  then  Three  Mile,  and  up  the 
hill  to  what  is  now  the  head  of  Broadway,  Leavenworth, 
and  on  across  Two  Mile  Creek  and  up  the  long  grade  to 


22  FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

the  top  of  the  hill,  where  the  flag  was  near,  little  more  than 
a  mile  away,  and  the  buildings  plainly  in  view.  Our  jour- 
ney was  nearly  ended.  Half  a  mile  before  reaching  the 
post  we  heard  a  bugle  sounding  retreat  and  Brydon  joined 
in,  the  ranks  were  closed  up,  the  roll  called,  and  we  marched 
in  good  order  in  front  of  the  commanding  officer's  quar- 
ters, halted,  faced  the  quarters  and  stood  at  attention,  while 
Colonel  Sumner  heard  the  roll  called  and  saw  the  names 
checked  off.  The  men  for  B  Troop  stood  on  the  right, 
Brydon  on  the  extreme  right,  and  the  Colonel  recognized 
him,  shook  hands,  and  said:  "Well,  Brydon,  you  are  back 
again."  "Yes,  Colonel."  "Couldn't  keep  out?"  queried 
the  Colonel.  "No,  Colonel,  I  had  to  come  back."  "Well," 
said  the  Colonel,  "I  am  glad  you  returned  to  your  old 
troop." 

We  were  not  detained  long;  marched  down  to  the  brick 
quarters  occupied  by  K  Troop  and  filed  into  the  dining- 
room  for  supper.  On  a  table  bread  and  boiled  pork  were 
cut  in  slices,  a  big  kettle  of  coffee  was  there,  and  each  man 
passed  his  tin  cup,  which  was  filled.  All  of  us  stood  and 
received  our  rations,  fell  lack  as  soon  as  supplied,  and  ate 
our  supper — not  half  as  much  nutriment  as  we  needed. 
The  British  deserter  had  been  supplied  with  whiskey  since 
his  arrival,  and  he  officiated  in  handing  each  mat  his  ration, 
taking  a  slice  of  pork,  putting  it  on  a  slice  of  bread  and 
handing  it  to  the  nearest  man — a  Christmas  dinner  long 
to  be  remembered. 

We  were  assigned  to  the  brick  quarters  south  of  K 
Troop,  where  we  found  a  detachment  of  six  men  of  I  Troop, 
First  Dragoons,  just  in  from  Riado,  New  Mexico,  with  the 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAaOON. 


23 


mail.  Wood  had  reported  our  approach  early  in  the  after- 
noon, and  with  these  men  had  our  bed  sacks  filled  and  the 
squad  room  warm.  We  had  to  thank  the  first  sergeant  of 
K  Troop  for  our  miserable  supper.  He  was  making  com- 
pany funds;  soon  after  deserted  with  horse  and  equipments 
and  most  of  the  funds.    Little  more  than  a  year  later,  when 


Dragoon  Quarters  op  1840. 


a  corporal,  with  two  comrades  who  had  suffered  with  me, 
I  was  sent  to  Platte  City  after  this  man,  the  commanding 
officer  having  heard  that  he  had  been  seen  there.  Sure 
enough,  we  found  him,  and  after  a  brief  struggle,  brought 
him  back  riding  behind  one  of  the  men,  and  placed  him 
in  the  guard  house.    I  told  him  that  nothing  paid  better 


24  WW  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

than  common  humanity  and  decency,  and  that  but  for  our 
miserable  reception  at  the  end  of  a  three-hundred  mile 
march  in  cold  winter,  we  might  not  have  felt  it  incum- 
bent upon  us  to  invade  a  man's  house  to  capture  him.  Our 
duty  hardly  justified  the  trouble  and  risk  we  took.  I  am 
sorry  to  say  that  he  made  his  escape  from  the  guard  house 
before  he  was  tried  and  drummed  out,  which  he  surely 
would  have  been. 

A  dozen  overcoats  had  disappeared  from  as  many  un- 
fortunates since  we  left  Carlisle — all  sold  for  a  mere  song, 
to  get  money  to  buy  whiskey,  and  this  in  the  face  of  the 
cold  the  losers  were  exposed  to.  One  mile  above  the  Fort, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Missouri  River,  was  a  place 
called  "Whiskey  Point,"  where  anything  could  be  sold  or 
traded  for  whiskey,  and  an  enterprising  pilot  interested  a 
few  of  the  new  arrivals,  and  a  couple  more  overcoats  were 
gone,  and  a  man  each  from  B.  F.  and  K  Troops  found 
themselves  in  the  guard  house  at  daylight.  The  next  day 
transportation  was  furnished  and  the  detachment  for  F 
Troop  started  for  Fort  Scott,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  south.  The  detachment  for  K  Troop  had  found  their 
places  on  arrival.  And  now  it  was  settled  that  the  de- 
tachment for  B  Troop  would  remain  until  spring.  The 
detachment  of  six  men  of  I  Troop  would  also  remain  un- 
til spring.  And  strange  as  it  may  appear,  I  remember 
the  names  of  these  men  fifty-six  years  later.  Jones,  a 
lance  sergeant;  Privates  Talbot,  Worrel,  McKenzie,  Fox 
and  Byrns.  Except  Byrns,  these  men  had  all  passed 
through  the  Mexican  War,  and  I  may  as  well  tell  of  their 
end  now.    Worrel  died  on  a  farm  in  Leavenworth  Coun- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  25 

ty.  Kansas,  about  1880;  he  had  served  ten  years.  Mc- 
Kenzie  and  Fox  were  killed  by  Indians.  Jones  and  Tal- 
bot were  discharged  at  Riado,  New  Mexico.  Byrns,  who 
was  then  (1849)  twenty-one  years  of  age,  was  killed  in  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness  while  colonel  of  a  volunteer  regi- 
ment and  commanding  a  brigade  in  the  Union  Army.  He 
served  in  all  the  grades  of  non-commissioned  officer,  was 
badly  wounded  in  1854  in  New  Mexico  by  Indians,  and 
secured  his  commission  as  second  lieutenant  in  the  regular 
army  at  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  War.  An  Irish- 
man by  birth,  well  educated,  and  my  warm  and  constant 
friend  from  our  first  meeting  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

And  now  the  two  detachments  were  thrown  together — 
B  and  I- — with  Sergeant  Jones  in  charge  and  Lieutenant 
Fields  the  detachment  commander,  and  under  their  man- 
agement our  quarters  were  made  comfortable,  and  our  own 
mess  and  food  properly  prepared.  We  were  paid  off  in 
January,  1850,  to  end  of  December,  1849 — $8  per  month, 
with  $1  retained  each  month.  A  couple  of  dollars  from 
each  man  to  buy  extras  for  the  mess  did  wonders.  Huck- 
sters from  Missouri  brought  vegetables,  and  we  fared  fair- 
ly well.  Three  months  we  had  ahead  of  us  before  we  could 
cross  the  plains  to  join  our  troop.  Lieutenant  Fields  or 
Sergeant  Jones  drilled  us  on  foot  twice  a  day.  We  had  to 
do  our  share  of  guard  and  other  duty,  but  had  no  horses 
to  care  for.  I  took  great  pride  in  saber  exercise,  and  prac- 
ticed much  with  small  swords  made  of  tough  hickory  with 
Miller,  Byrns,  O'Shea  and  others.  Miller  was  an  English- 
man, who  had  seen  better  days,  and  enlisted  in  New  York 
because  he  was  absolutely  hungry — "too  proud  to  beg  and 


26  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

too  honest  to  steal" — a  teacher  by  profession  and  master  of 
several  languages.  O'Shea  was  a  graduate  of  Dublin  Col- 
lege, and  a  better  all  around  man  I  never  met.  He  was 
the  champion  boxer,  and  that  was  a  leading  branch  of  our 
exercises.  Eules  of  good  behavior  were  strict  and  well  ob- 
served. I  never  had  more  congenial  companionship,  and 
that  kept  us  alive  and  fairly  happy.  We  made  the  best  of 
everything,  and  did  no  growling;  found  some  good  books 
in  the  post  library  and  did  much  reading.  In  fact,  I  was 
getting  along  quite  contentedly,  until  one  Saturday  I  had 
cleaned  up  carbine,  saber,  belts,  etc.,  for  Sunday  morning 
inspection,  and  left  them  in  my  "rack."  When  I  came  up 
from  supper  I  found  in  their  place  very  dirty  equipments. 
At  fiTst  I  thought  it  a  joke,  and  glanced  around  quietly. 
Byrns  was  lying  on  his  bunk,  and  told  me  that  he  saw  "Big 
Mit"  take  my  "kit"  and  put  his  in  place  of  it.  I  took  mine 
from  his  rack,  and  was  in  the  act  of  adjusting  it,  when  he 
came  in,  rushed  at  me  like  a  roaring  maniac,  and  raised  his 
carbine  to  strike.  In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  I 
was  all  over  him  with  my  saber.  Men  came  rushing  up 
from  supper;  word  passed  that  the  men  of  the  "detach- 
ment," as  it  was  called,  were  killing  each  other,  and  a  file 
of  the  guard  was  called;  but  Jones  came  first,  and  made 
a  detail  to  carry  off  "Mit."  Lieutenant  Fields  came  with 
the  officer  of  the  day,  and  Byrns  told  the  story  in  good 
shape.  When  they  left  Lieutenant  Fields  said  to  the  officer 
of  the  day :  "I  think  that  brute  will  leave  that  young  fel- 
low alone  hereafter." 

A  month  later  "Mit"  returned  to  the  squad  room  and 
I  went  over  to  him  and  said :    "Well,  how  are  you  ?"    He 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON- 


27 


replied,  "Sure  I  'm  sore,  and  will  be  for  some  time." 
"Well,"  said  I,  "I  am  sorry  for  you  and  hope  yon  will  soon 
be  well  again."  After  an  embarrassing  pause  I  said,  "And 
now,  fMit,'  how  does  it  stand  between  us  ?  Are  we  to  live 
in  peace,  or  have  I  to  look  out  for  you  and  be  ready  to  kill 
you  some   day — I  want  to  know  just  what  to  expect?" 


■MHBl 


First  Permanent  Hospital,  Later  Hancock  Hall. 


"Sure,"  said  he,  "don't  be  too  hard  on  me;  sure,  only  that 
I  was  drunk  I  would  have  no  trouble  wid  ye."  "Well,"  said 
I,  "you  are  sure  to  get  drunk  again;  I  expect  that;  but  it 
won't  be  any  excuse  for  crossing  me;  you  have  had  two 
chances  with  me,  and  I  don't  want  to  stand  guard  over 
myself  all  the  time;  I  hold  no  malice  toward  you;  don't 
anything  about  the  past,  but  what  of  to-morrow  or  some 


28  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

other  day  when  you  feel  like  breaking  some  fellow's  neck — 
am  I  to  be  the  victim?  I  want  it  settled."  "Sure,"  said 
he,  "I  like  ye  first  rate,  and  ye  '11  find  me  yer  friend  all 
the  time."  "All  right,"  said  I,  "let 's  shake,"  and  we  did. 
From  that  time  on  he  tried  to  be  kind  to  me. 

Leaving  out  of  our  squad  a  few  who  could  find  nothing 
in  life  worth  living  unless  able  to  procure  whiskey,  we  had 
a  remarkably  good  set  of  men,  some  scholars,  some  good 
singers  and  quite  a  smattering  of  theatrical  talent,  out  of 
which  was  organized  a  so-called  Thespian  Society.  War- 
ren Kimball,  Rogers,  Glennon,  Miller,  O'Shea,  Hill,  "Lit- 
tle" Duffy  and  others  made  up  the  actors,  and  gave  a  per- 
formance once  a  week  during  February  and  March  in  our 
dining-room.  A  little  assistance  came  from  "K,"  but  the 
"detachment"  contained  more  genius  in  that  line  than  the 
balance  of  the  Post.  All  officers  and  ladies  at  the  Post 
came  to  the  performances. 

"K"  Troop  was  commanded  by  Captain  and  Brevet 
Major  Caleb  Carlton,  a  fine  officer  and  strict  disciplinar- 
ian; he  had  a  good  troop  and  fine  non-commissioned  offi- 
cers. How  he  happened  to  have  a  thief  and  all  around 
tough  for  a  first  sergeant  I  never  knew.  When  this  ser- 
geant deserted  he  was  succeeded  by  a  fine  man,  and  my 
friend  Wagner  was  made  corporal.  Two  years  later  he 
was  made  first  sergeant,  and  soon  after  a  relative  died  in 
Baltimore,  leaving  him  a  large  fortune,  and  the  Secretary 
of  War  discharged  him  so  that  he  might  look  after  it.  On 
his  return  from  New  Mexico,  on  his  way  East,  he  spent 
one  night  with  me  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  I  had  be- 
come first  sergeant  of  B  Troop. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  29 

FORT  LEAVENWORTH  AS  I  SAW  IT  IN  1849. 

At  the  corner  of  what  is  now  Kearney  Avenue  and 
Sumner  Place,  the  south  end  on  Kearney  Avenue  and  west 
front  on  Sumner  Place,  stood  a  two-story  brick  building 
with  wide  front  porches  above  and  below,  used  as  dragoon 
quarters — the  building  that  our  detachment  occupied.  Im- 
mediately north  of  this,  fronting  the  same  way,  was  a  sim- 
ilar building — "K"  troop  quarters.*  Eunning  east  from 
the  southeast  corner  of  first  mentioned  building  was  a  stone 
wall  with  portholes  looking  south.  A  two-story  block 
house  stood  a  little  south  of  the  east  end  of  the  wall.  South- 
east of  the  block  house,  about  where  the  chapel  now  stands, 
was  the  sutler's  store,  kept  by  Colonel  Hiram  Rich.  There 
is  a  marked  contrast  between  an  old-time  army  sutler's 
store  and  a  church,  especially  if  both  be  first-class.  South 
of  the  store  was  the  parsonage,  in  those  days  occupied  by 
Chaplain  Kerr.  The  house  was  of  logs,  and  still  stands, 
with  several  additions,  and  all  covered  like  a  frame  house. 
A  little  west  of  the  parsonage,  across  what  is  now  Scott 
Avenue,  was  the  residence  of  Colonel  Rich.  Southeast 
of  that  was  the  home  of  the  veteran  Ordnance  Sergeant 
Fleming. 

*These  two  building's  were  the  first  permanent  structures 
of  the  Post  occupied  by  troops,  and  were  built  in  the  early 
'40's.  Later  they  were  used  as  the  headquarters  for  the  De- 
partment of  the  Missouri,  where  Sheridan,  Hancock  and  Pope 
commanded.  In  1881  the  buildings  were  vacated  by  the  head- 
quarters and  fitted  up  for  quarters  for  student  officers  for  the 
Infantry  and  Cavalry  School,  established  the  same  year. 
Two  years  ago  these  buildings  were  torn  down,  and  the  site 
has  been  chosen  for  the  Administration  Building  of  the  Post, 
which  is  to  be  erected  at  an  early  day.— [Editor.] 


30  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

At  the  northeast  corner  of  what  is  now  Sumner  Place 
stood  a  one-story  and  basement  building  fronting  west, 
used  as  officers'  quarters.  It  is  still  standing,  with  another 
story  added.  On  the  opposite  corner,  north  side,  fronting 
south  on  Sumner  Place  and  parade  ground,  was  another 
building  used  as  officers'  quarters,  since  rebuilt  and  much 


First  Permanent  Officers'  Quarters  (North  Side.) 

enlarged.  West  of  that  was  the  best  building  at  the  Post, 
then  the  commanding  officer's  quarters,  very  much  the 
same  as  it  now  is,  though  enlarged  and  improved  from  time 
to  time.  The  last  three  buildings  referred  to,  and  the  logs 
in  the  parsonage,  and  the  wall,  are  all  that  is  left  of  the 
Post  of  1849.     Between  the  commanding  officer's  quar- 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  31 

ters  and  the  northwe&t  corner  of  what  is  now  Sumner 
Place,  fronting  south  toward  the  parade  ground,  were 
four  or  five  buildings  used  as  officers'  quarters.  West  of 
the  parade  ground,  on  what  is  now  a  part  of  McClellan 
Avenue,  fronting  east,  were  four  or  five  one-story  and 
basement  buildings  generally  used  as  quarters  for  soldiers' 
families  or  citizen  employees. 

Between  the  first  above  mentioned  brick  building  and 
south  end  of  west  row  of  buildings  stood  a  row  of  log  sta- 
bles— six,  I  think — main  entrance  in  end  fronting  south 
on  what  is  now  Kearney  Avenue,  which  was  then  a  thor- 
oughfare from  the  steamboat  landing  west  out  on  to  the 
plains.  Each  stable  was  about  36x100  feet.  Immediately 
north  of  these  stables,  south  of  the  middle  of  the  parade- 
ground,  was  a  magazine,  mostly  underground,  over  which 
a  sentinel  was  always  posted. 

I  have  mentioned  all  of  the  buildings  around  the 
parade  ground  as  it  then  was,  and  all  south  of  the  stone 
wall.  West  of  the  line  of  stables  and  south  end  of  west 
line  of  buildings  stood  "Bedlam" — correctly  named — a 
large  two-story  frame,  with  front  and  back  porches  and 
stone  basement.  It  was  the  quarters  of  unmarried  offi- 
cers, with  an  officers'  mess  attached.  (A  lieutenant  in 
those  days  would  be  content  with  one  room,  and  all  of 
his  furniture  would  not  be  worth  twenty-five  dollars.) 
'1'was  here  they  fought  their  battles  o'er,  from  West 
Point  and  the  girls  they  left  behind  them,  through  the 
swamps  of  Florida,  the  wilds  of  Texas,  over  the  great 
plains,  the  mountains,  on  the  Pacific  Slope  and  the  fields 
of  Mexico.    'Twas  here  they  met  after  tedious  campaigns, 


32  FIVE   TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

recountered  their  triumphs,  disappointments  and  hard- 
ships; through  heat,  cold,  hunger  and  disease — and  now 
the  feast,  if  not  always  of  reason,  at  least  the  flow  of 
soul — and  other  things. 

Southeast  of  "Bedlam"  about  one  hundred  yards  stood 
the  guard-house,  an  unmerciful  dungeon,  stone  basement 
and  heavy  log  superstructure.  Southwest  of  the  guard 
house  and  south  of  "Bedlam"  stood  the  hospital,  built  of 
brick,  with  porches  all  around,  and  quite  comfortable.  On 
the  ridge,  about  where  the  riding  school  now  is,  was  a  block 
house  similar  to  the  one  heretofore  mentioned.  Where  the 
hop  room  now  is  stood  a  one-story  stone  building,  used 
as  commissary  and  quartermaster  storerooms  and  offices, 
about  one  hundred  feet  on  what  is  now  McPherson  Avenue 
by  about  fifty  feet  on  what  is  now  Scott  Avenue.  A  little 
northwest  of  this  a  two-story  stone  building,  now  emb  ace  1 
in  the  Military  Prison,  was  built  in  1850  and  used  as  quar- 
termaster's stores  and  offices.  Still  farther  north,  covering 
the  ground  beyond  the  buildings  now  composing  the  south 
front  of  the  Military  Prison,  were  a  few  homes  of  em- 
ployees, the  wagon,  blacksmith,  carpenter,  saddler,  and  other 
shops  and  quartermaster's  stables  and  corrals.  Also  scat- 
tered here  and  there  were  a  few  small  houses ;  at  the  steam- 
boat landing  a  warehouse.  The  flagstaff  and  sundial  stood 
just  south  of  the  west  end  of  the  present  hop  room.  There 
was  generally  a  sentinel  posted  there,  and  it  was  said  that 
a  sergeant  of  the  guard  regulated  his  watch  by  the  dial 
on  his  rounds  with  the  midnight  relief. 

This  is  as  correct  an  account  as  I  can  give  from  mem- 
ory of  Fort  Leavenworth  fifty-six  years  ago. 


PART  II. 


T 


HE  road  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth to  New  Mexico  ran 
through  what  is  now  Easton,  at  the 
crossing  of  Stranger  Creek;  then 
through  what  is  now  Winchester,  Oza- 
kee  at  the  crossing  of  Grasshopper, 
now  Delaware  River  and  Soldier  Creek, 
four  miles  north  of  where  now  stands 
Topeka.  There  it  crossed  the  Kaw  on 
PapanV  Ferry,  about  sixty  miles  from 
Fort  Leavenworth,  thence  to  Council 
Grove,  sixty  miles  farther,  intersect- 
ing the  main  Santa  Fe  trail  from 
Independence,  Missouri,  east  of  the  Grove. 

To  reach  the  "Oregon  Trail/*'  T  quote  from  General 
Cook's  "Scenes  and  Adventures  in  the. Army,"  page  283: 
"We  followed  for  two  days  the  trails  of  former  marches, 
guiding  us  through  the  intricate  and  broken  but  picturesque 
grounds  which  border  the  Missouri.  The  third  day  we 
struck  out  boldly  into  the  almost  untrodden  prairie,  bear- 
ing quite  to  the  west.  The  sixth  day,  having  marched  about 
ninety  miles,  we  turned  towards  the  south,  crossing  a  vast 
elevated  and  nearly  level  plain,  extending  between  two 
branches  of  tha  Blue  Eiver.  Thus  without  an  obstacle  for 
fifteen  miles,  we  reached  and  encamped  upon  its  banks. 
The  seventh  day,  leaving  the  Blue  and  turning  to  the  north- 
west, between  two  tributaries  from  that  direction,  we  soon 


34  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

espied  on  a  distant  ridge  the  wagon  tops  of  emigrants; 
gradually  converging,  in  a  few  hours  we  met.  Here  was  a 
great  thoroughfare,  broad  and  well  worn,  the  longest  and 
best  natural  road  perhaps  in  the  world." 

The  above  had  reference  to  the  route  taken  by  Colonel 
Kearney  in  his  campaign  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  back 
in  1845. 

Sometimes  Government  travel  crossed  the  Missouri 
River  at  the  Fort,  went  up  on  north  side  to  about  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Platte  and  thence  up  that  stream.  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri,  had  become  an  important  outfitting  and 
starting-point  for  trips  across  the  plains,  and  a  good  road 
ran  southwest  from  that  place,  crossing  the  Big  Blue  where 
is  now  Marysville,  Kansas. 

Major  Ogden,  then  quartermaster  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, was  ordered  to  lay  out  a  road  from  that  point  to 
intersect  this  St.  Joe  road.  He  employed  a  lot  of  Kicka- 
poo  Indians  as  guides,  with  a  negro  named  Morgan,  who 
lived  with  them,  as  interpreter.  A  detachment  of  B  Troop 
came  in  from  Fort  Kearney  with  the  mail,  and  with  ours, 
less  two  men  who  had  deserted,  and  some  infantry  recruits 
en  route  to  Kearney  and  Laramie,  acted  as  escort  to  Major 
Ogden's  road  surveying  party,  and  a  number  of  officers  and 
their  families  en  route  to  Kearney  and  Laramie. 

We  left  Fort  Leavenworth  on  the  2d  of  April,  1850. 
The  first  night  out  we  camped  at  the  springs  near  where 
Lowemont,  Kansas,  is  now  located.  We  followed  the  mil- 
itary road  to  Santa  Fe  about  eight  miles,  and  from  there 
to  the  intersection  of  the  St.  Joe  road  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles;  we  followed  the  divides  on  account  of 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  3   5 

excessive  wet  weather,  heading,  or  crossing  near  the  head 
of  the  streams  running  northeast  into  the  Missouri  and 
those  running  southeast  into  the  Kaw,  crossing  the  Dela- 
ware where  is  now  Kiunekuk,  the  Nemaha  where  is  now 
Seneca,  intersecting  the  road  from  St.  Joe  between  Seneca 
and  Marysville. 

Of  the  officers  en  route  to  Kearney  and  Laramie  on 
this  trip,  I  remember  only  Colonel  Loomis,  of  the  Sixth 
Infantry,  Captain  Wharton  of  the  Sixth  Infantry  and  fam- 
ily, and  Captain  Dyer  of  the  Artillery,  who  was  Chief  of 
Ordnance  during  the  war  between  the  States. 

Major  Ogden  and  the  Kickapoos  left  us  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Blue  and  returned  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  We 
arrived  at  Fort  Kearney  and  joined  our  troop  in  due  time. 
Captain  and  Brevet  Major  K.  H.  Chilton*  command- 
ed the  post  and  troop.  Of  all  troops  in  the  service  this, 
its  members  claimed,  was  the  most  distinguished.  Its  first 
captain  was  E.  Y.  Sumner,  major-general  during  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion.  It  .had  been  continually  in  the  Indian 
country  or  Mexico  since  its  organization.  It  had  many 
traditions  of  hard  campaigns,  skirmishes,  night  attacks  by 
Indians,  battles,  cold,  heat,  hunger  and  feasting,  from  the 
Missouri  River  to  Old  Mexico,  through  Texas  and  all  of 
the  Indian  Territory  from  Missouri  to  Utah  and  from  Min- 
nesota to  Texas;  and  now  it  was  located  in  the  heart  of 

*Robert  Hall  Chilton  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a 
graduate  of  the  M.A.  in  1837.  He  was  assigned  to  the  First 
Dragoons,  became  major  and  paymaster  in  1854  and  resigned 
April  29,  1861,  to  enter  the  Confederate  States  army.  He  was 
appointed  brigadier-general,  serving  on  the  staff  of  General 
Robert  E.  Lee  as  adjutant  general.    He  died  February  18, 1879. 


36  FIyE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

the  Pawnee  country.  At  that  time  the  Pawnees  were  the 
most  dangerous  of  any  Indians  on  the  overland  trail  to 
California.  Its  last  battle  was  the  fall  before  on  the  Lit- 
tle Blue  River  where  a  dozen  men  were  wounded,  one  fatal- 
ly, and  a  dozen  or  more  horses  killed  or  wounded.  A  num- 
ber of  Indians  were  killed  and  many  wounded. 

Soon  after  the  battle  above  referred  to,  Major  Chilton 
became  aware  of  the  presence  of  some  Pawnees  on  an  island 
in  the  Platte  about  two  miles  from  the  post,  and  took 
twenty  men  with  him,  intending  to  surround  and  make 
them  prisoners.  His  orders  were  emphatic  not  to  shoot — 
he  wanted  prisoners  so  as  to  induce  the  tribe  to  come  in 
and  make  terms  tliat  would  insure  peace  and  safety  to  the 
immense  emigration  sure  to  move  over  the  trail  to  Cali- 
fornia the  following  spring.  After  a  good  deal  of  skirmish- 
ing through  tail  grass,  wild  grape  vines  and  willows,  Ser- 
geant Martin,  Corporals  Haff  and  Cook  and  Bugler  Peel 
found  four  Indians  on  a  dry  sandy  branch  of  the  river  and 
attempted  to  carry  out  the  Majors  instructions  by  motion- 
ing to  the  Indians  to  lay  down  their  arms,  which  they 
showed  a  determination  not  to  do.  One  ran  up  a  dry 
branch  followed  by  Half,  who  soon  shot  him.  Another  ran 
towards  a  tall  cottonwood  with  Cook  after  him.  At  the 
tree  the  Indian  stopped  with  his  back  to  it  ready  to  fire. 
Cook  had  him  so  closely  covered  with  cocked  pistol,  not 
twenty  feet  away  that  the  Indian  was  afraid  to  lower  his 
gun,  and  Cook  parleyed  with  him  by  signs  to  induce  him 
to  lay  it  down,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  Finally  his  robe 
dropped  from  his  shoulders.  Cook  knew  this  meant  a  des- 
perate condition  of  the  Indian's  mind,  and  as  he  gave  his 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOOX- 


37 


General  Stephen  W.  Kearney. 
final  war-whoop  and  dropped  the  muzzle  of  his  gun,  Cook 
fired.    The  Indian  fell  dead,  his  rifle  being  discharged  so 
near  the  same  time  that  but  one  report  was  heard.    Cook's 


38  FIVE  tears  a  dragoon. 

bullet  entered  the  Indian's  mouth  without  hitting  a  tooth 
and  came  out  at  the  back  of  his  head.  Cook  was  unhurt 
and  sat  coolly  reloading  his  pistol  when  Major  Chilton 
and  half  a  dozen  men  rode  up,  and  the  Major  cried  out, 
"Who  killed  that  Indian?"  "I  did/'  said  Cook,  ramming 
down  his  cartridge.  "Why  didn't  you  make  him  lay  down 
his  arms  ?"  Poor  Cook  felt  terribly  outraged ;  he  had  risk- 
ed his  life  trying  to  obey  orders,  and  angrily  said,  "Why, 
he  wouldn't  lay  down  his  arms."  At  this  juncture  Bugler 
Peel  rode  up,  and  saluting  the  Major  reported  that  Ser- 
geant Martin  had  been  killed.  Martin  was  the  oldest  sol- 
dier in  the  troop,  had  served  with  the  Major  in  Mexico, 
and  was  a  great  favorite.  Peel  reported  that  after  Half 
and  Cook  had  left  him  and  Martin,  one  Indian  escaped  in 
the  brush  while  Martin  was  trying  to  carry  out  the  Major's 
orders,  and  Peel  seeing  that  the  other  Indian  was  about  to 
fire,  shot  him  near  the  heart  and  he  fell  on  his  face,  im- 
mediately raised  himself  on  one  elbow,  fired,  and  shot 
Martin  through  the  heart,  and  fell  dead.  Martin  fell  from 
his  horse  and  was  borne  back  to  the  post  to  a  soldier's 
grave,  a  victim  of  obedience  to  orders.  If  he  had  taken 
Peel's  advice  all  four  of  the  Indians  would  have  been 
killed  and  Martin  would  have  lived  to  aid  in  the  discipline 
of  the  troop. 

The  percentage  of  good  material  for  mounted  service 
in  our  squad  of  recruits  was  fully  equal  to  that  found  in 
the  troop  when  we  joined,  all  the  advantage  being  in  ex- 
perience and  discipline,  and  my  sailor  experience  led  me 
to  believe  the  latter  not  very  complete.  A  man  ordered  to 
do  a  thing  on  board  of  a  ship  did  not  stop  to  think  of  the 


PtVE   YEARS  A   DRAGOON.  39 

reason  why,  but  moved  promptly,  if  he  was  not  waiting  for 
a  "rope's  end"  to  catch  him,  which,  or  something  worse, 
was  sure  to  follow  the  slightest  hesitation  to  obey  orders. 
The  life  of  the  ship  and  all  on  board  might  and  often 
does  depend  on  quick  obedience.  The  man  who  walks  the 
quarter-deck  is  a  prince  supreme,  and  subordinates  see 
that  his  will  is  executed — no  friction  and  no  questioning 
authority. 

However,  the  troop  as  I  remember  it,  was  more  than 
equal  to  any  1  met  afterwards  during  my  enlistment.  Two 
of  our  detachment  transferred  to  the  infantry  during  the 
first  year  because  of  their  inability  to  ride.  There  was  so 
much  old  material  in  "B/J  that  the  new  was  soon  moulded 
into  fair  shape.  The  recruits  got  horses  and  drilled  indus- 
triously. One  hour  mounted  drill  before  breakfast  gave  us 
appetites  to  eat  the  slice  of  bread  and  boiled  pork  with 
pepper,  vinegar  and  coffee.  Boiled  beef  and  soup  (bean  or 
rice)  for  dinner.  Plenty  of  beef,  because  the  contractor 
killed  buffalo  instead  of  domestic  cattle,  and  gave  us  all 
we  wanted. 

And  now  it  was  the  middle  of  May.  The  road  was 
lined  with  white  wagons,  herds  of  cattle,  horses  and  mules 
en  route  to  California  and  Oregon.  Some  stock  had  been 
run  off  by  Pawnees,  some  robberies  committed  and  a  few 
venturesome  hunters  said  to  have  been  killed.  Major  Chil- 
ton sent  old  Jeffries,  the  interpreter,  into  the  Pawnee  vil- 
lages to  induce  the  Indians  to  come  in  and  have  a  "talk." 
Jeffries  was  a  negro  who  came  into  the  Pawnee  country 
when  a  boy  with  Mr.  Sarpie,  or  Sarpa,  of  St.  Louis,  an 
Indian  trader,  and  had  been  there  more  than  thirty  years. 


40  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

He  was  very  reliable  and  useful,  because  the  Indians  be- 
lieved what  he  told  them.  A  number  came  in,  but  a  strong 
band  that  ranged  on  the  Republican  River,  south  of  Kear- 
ney, did  not  come.  The  main  villages  on  Wood  River  and 
Loup  Fork,  north  of  the  Platte,  did  not  show  up.  The  talk 
with  those  who  did  eome  in  lasted  several  days,  during 
which  they  feasted,  danced  and  indulged  in  sham  battles. 
The  chiefs  made  fine  promises,  and  the  Major  made  threats 
of  what  he  would  do  if  the  road  was  not  left  clear  for 
emigration. 

Then  the  troop  went  in  search  of  the  band  that  re- 
fused to  come  in.  Southeast  to  the  Little  Blue,  about 
forty  miles  south  to  the  Republican,  up  that  river  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles,  several  times  in  hot  pursuit  of  the 
del'nquent  Paw.  e.s,  the  troop  marched  and  finally  brought 
them  to  a  parley.  This  was  a  strong  band,  but  had  few 
horses.  That  is  why  we  caught  up  with  them.  Another 
reason,  we  were  driving  them  into  the  Cheyenne  and  Sioux 
country,  and  they  were  afraid  of  being  caught  between  two 
fires.  The  Sioux  and  Cheyennes  were  perfectly  friendly 
with  the  whites  at  this  time.  Major  Chilton's  movements 
were  with  a  view  of  driving  the  Pawnees  in  that  direction 
and  he  succeeded  well.  Jeffries  got  the  chiefs  to  come  into 
camp  for  a  talk.  The  Indians  were  much  frightened,  be- 
cause they  were  the  bad  lot,  were  guilty  of  outrages,  and 
now  they  were  where  the  dragoons  had  the  advantage. 
Finally  Major  Chilton  held  the  head  chief  and  another  and 
told  them  to  instruct  their  people  to  be  at  Fort  Kearney 
en  a  certain  day  and  to  notify  all  the  other  bands  to  be 
there  for  a  "big  talk,"  and  if  they  were  not  there  he  would 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  41 

"turn  loose"  on  the  whole  nation  and  "wipe  them  off  the 
face  of  the  earth,"  a  favorite  expression  of  his  when  talk- 
ing to  bad  Indians.  The  next  day  we  saw  the  Pawnees  go- 
ing northeast  at  a  rapid  rate,  and  a  few  honrs  later  met  a 
war  party  of  Cheyennes,  the  finest  band  I  ever  saw — about 
300 — well  mounted  and  equipped.  One  would  think  them 
all  picked  men,  from  twenty  to  forty  years  old — perfect 
specimens  of  the  finest  and  handsomest  Indians  on  the 
plains,  in  war  naint,  fierce  and  confident-looking — coming 
down  to  fight  the  Pawnees,  and  if  we  had  driven  the  latter 
twenty  miles  farther  west  these  mortal  enemies  would 
have  met.  The  Cheyennes  had  a  band  of  extra  horses; 
but  were  without  women  or  other  encumbrance.  Evidently 
some  Pawnee  scouts  had  discovered  the  Cheyennes  with- 
out being  seen  by  them,  hence  the  Pawnees'  hurry  in  get- 
ting away.  Our  prisoners  and  old  Jeffries  were  kept  out 
of  sight  in  a  wagon  while  the  Major  held  a  big  sign  talk 
with  the  Cheyenne  chief  and  a  few  braves,  and  persuaded 
them  to  go  no  farther  east,  but  to  go  north  across  the 
Platte  to  Wood  River,  where  he  thought  the  most  of  the 
Pawnees  were.  This  was  true,  and  the  Major  knew  that 
if  worried  by  the  Cheyennes  they  would  be  more  likely  to 
come  in,  and  seeing  their  peril  from  Cheyennes  and  troops 
would  come  down  humbly  for  the  sake  of  Government 
protection.  And  thus  it  worked,  the  Cheyennes  little 
dreaming  of  the  good  they  were  doing. 

Major  Chilton's  movement  on  this  short  campaign  had 
been  bold  strategy,  as  I  view  it  after  so  many  years,  and 
the  fortunate  meeting  with  the  Cheyennes  helped  his  cause 


42  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON- 

very  much.  We  were  out  about  three  weeks,  during  which 
time  we  traveled  about  four  hundred  miles  without  forage 
other  than  grass.  In  two  wagons  we  carried  tents  and  half- 
rations,  so  that  half  of  our  living  consisted  of  fresh  meat — 
mostly  buffalo,  of  which  there  was  an  abundance.  We  had 
no  sickness  except  a  few  cases  of  diarrhoea  and  a  little 
fever.  The  principal  medicines  in  the  Major's  "case"  were 
opium,  salts  and  quinine.  About  seventy  men  in  the  party, 
liable  to  accidents  and  casualties  of  battle,  and  no  doctor. 
x\nd  here  I  will  sa}',  once  for  all,  that  with  the  exception 
of  the  trip  to  Mexico  in  1854  and  the  treaty  at  mouth  of 
Horse  Creek  in  1851,  in  my  whole  five  years  of  service  while 
on  the  plains,  every  summer  on  a  long  campaign,  liable  to 
battle  and  always  expecting  it,  we  never  had  a  doctor.  Let 
soldiers  of  to-day  congratulate  themselves  on  the  liberal- 
ity of  the  Government,  the  humanity  and  Christianity  of 
the  Red  Cross,  and  the  universal  demand  that  soldiers 
have  every  comfort  that  our  modern  civilization  affords. 

Our  horses  at  the  end  of  this  campaign  were,  with  few 
exceptions,  in  good  condition.  The  horse  of  the  dead  ser- 
geant (Martin),  the  beautiful  chestnut  sorrel,  trained  by  a 
level-headed,  painstaking  soldier,  was  mine,  and  the  best  in 
the  troop. 

According  to  Major  Chilton's  calculation,  in  about  ten 
days  nearly  all  the  Pawnees  were  near  Fort  Kearney,  and 
the  ensuing  pow-wow  lasted  several  days,  during  which  the 
Indians  were  made  to  understand  the  greatness,  goodness 
and  power  of  the  white  race,  and  of  the  Great  Father  in 
Washington  in  particular,  and  how  wicked,  ungrateful  and 
foolish  the  Pawnees  were  to  disturb  the  white  man  or  in- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON-  43 

terfere  with  his  peaceful  travel  through  the  country  in  any 
WAV — all  winding  up  with  solemn  promises  and  a  grand 
feast.  Of  course  I  took  great  interest  in  this  new  experi- 
ence and  made  the  most  of  it  as  opportunities  offered.  I 
learned  much  from  old  Jeffries,  and  sympathized  a  great 
deal  with  these  wily,  devilish  fellows,  who  were  at  war 
with  all  the  wild  tribes  —  constantly  on  guard  against 
the  Sioux,  Chevennes,  Arapahoes,  Kiowas  and  Comanches 
on  the  west  and  south  of  them.  I  am  sure  that  Major 
Chilton's  administration  of  affairs  about  Kearney  settled 
the  Pawnees  so  far  as  their  hostility  to  the  whites  was 
concerned,  with  the  exeception  of  the  lawlessness  of 
small  bands  of  young  bucks  once  in  a  while  along  the 
Little  Blue. 

And  now  the  road  was  crowded  with  emigration  west — 
long  trains  of  wagons,  herds  of  cattle,  etc.  I  got  Lieu- 
tenant Stanbury's  map  and  list  of  distances  and  copied  the 
distances.  One  day  an  emigrant  inquired  about  the  route 
and  I  handed  him  my  list.  He  insisted  upon  buying  it  of 
me  and  I  let  him  keep  it.  I  told  Bugler  Grant,  and  we 
went  into  partnership.  I  wrote  the  guides,  he  sold  them, 
and  we  soon  divided  over  $50  between  us. 

The  middle  of  July  three  of  the  best  men  in  the  troop — 
a  sergeant,  the  farrier  and  a  bugler  deserted,  taking  horses 
and  equipments.  Corporal  Cook  and  others  followed  them 
a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  west  and  brought  back  the  horses, 
but  not  the  men  or  equipments.  There  was  much  excite- 
ment in  the  troop,  and  two  weeks  later  another  good  man 
deserted,  taking  two  horses.  He  seemed  to  have  had  a 
citizen  confederate.     Cook  followed  and  brought  back  the 


44  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

horses,  but  nothing  else.  Up  to  this  time  there  had  been 
one  sentinel  at  the  stable,  which  was  two  hundred  feet 
long  and  forty  feet  wide,  built  of  sod,  with  three  doors  at 
each  end  and  one  in  center  of  building  on  each  side — open 
windows  on  both  sides  about  thirty  feet  apart.  Of  course 
no  sentinel  could  get  around  fast  enough  to  watch  all  of 
these  openings  in  this  large  building,  and  this  fact  at  last 
dawned  upon  the  Major,  and  thereafter  the  quartermaster 
sergeant  and  one  company  teamster  slept  in  the  stable,  and 
two  men — both  infantry — walked  post,  showing  that  the 
Major  was  not  trusting  his  troop.  He  was  doing  what 
ought  to  have  been  done  all  the  time,  for  with  the  Cali- 
fornia fever  then  prevailing,  the  constant  stream  of  em- 
igrants passing,  these  horses  were  too  much  of  a  tempta- 
tion to  be  resisted  by  men  who  would,  under  any  circum- 
stances, desert.  There  were  no  desertions  from  the 
infantry. 

In  October,  1850,  the  troop  moved  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
and  occupied  the  quarters  used  by  our  detachment  the  pre- 
vious winter.  Major  Theophilus  Holmes,  with  four  com- 
panies of  the  Seventh  Infantry,  came  about  the  same  time 
that  "B"  troop  did,  and  left  in  the  spring.  Like  all  I  saw 
of  the  Sixth,  the  Seventh  was  a  well  disciplined,  well  be- 
haved organization. 

The  Kaw  Indians  near  Council  Grove  had  been  com- 
mitting some  depredations  —  stealing  horses  and  other- 
wise making  themselves  troublesome — and  in  January, 
1851,  Major  Chilton,  with  about  fifty  men  of  his  troop  went 
to  Council  Grove,  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  had  a  "big 
talk,"  took  four  of  the  principal  chiefs  of  the  Kaw  Na- 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON- 


45 


tion  prisoners  and  brought  them  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 
About  half  of  the  men  on  this  trip  were  more  or  less  frost- 
bitten, several  of  them  severely.  It  was  a  horrible  trip  for 
men  so  poorly  provided  for  a  two  hundred  and  forty  mile 


*,Major  David  H.  Hastings. 

march  in  such  severe  weather.  Overshoes,  mittens,  gloves, 
leggings  or  other  extra  wraps  were  not  then  provided  by 
the  Government,  nor  kept  for  sale,  and  men  made  for  them- 
selves out  of  old  blankets,  skins,  pieces  of  old  canvas  and 


46  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

cast-off  clothing,  anything  that  necessity  prompted  them 
to  invent  for  protection  from  the  bitter  cold.  Not  a  house 
between  Fort  Leavenworth  and  Papan's  Ferry  across  the 
Kaw,  sixty  miles,  and  none  between  the  ferry  and  Coun- 
cil Grove — the  whole  country  an  expanse  of  snow.  Plenty 
of  fuel  in  every  camp,  and  fires  kept  burning  all  night. 
The  horses  were  huddled  together  in  best  sheltered  places 
and  fires  built  to  windward  so  that  the  rays  of  heat  would 
float  towards  them.  Corn  was  hauled  for  them,  and  as 
there  was  no  hay,  cottonwood  trees  were  felled  to  browse 
on,  the  limbs  trimmed  off  and  piled  before  them.  Noth- 
ing was  left  undone  that  could  be  done  under  the  circum- 
stances for  the  comfort  of  men  and  horses,  but  with  all 
that  there  was  great  suffering. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1851,  I  was  promoted  to  cor- 
poral. 

About  this  time  Second  Lieutenant  D.  H.  Hastings* 
joined  "B"  Troop.  He  brought  with  him  a  fine  reputa- 
tion for  long  and  faithful  service,  and  looked  every  inch 
an  officer  to  be  respected.  He  served  many  years  as  a  first 
sergeant,  won  his  commission  in  the  Mexican  War,  where 
one  heel  was  shot  off,  and  he  wore  a  cork  one.  A  man  of 
iron  will  and  nerve,  he  was  all  that  a  good  soldier  could 
wish  in  a  good  officer. 

The  April  following  Major  Sackfield  Macklin,  paymas- 

*David  H.  Hast" rigs  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  appointed 
second  lieutentant,  First  Dragoons,  in  1848.  He  had  served  as 
an  enlisied  man  in  Company  B,  Second  Infantry,  Company  K. 
Third  Artillery,  and  Company  A,  Engineer  Corps.  He  retired 
in  December,  1863,  and  died  September  22,  1882.  He  was  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Morton,  the  wife  of  Major  A.  G.  Morton,  Sixth 
Infantry. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  47 

ter  U.  S.  A.,  left  Fort  Leavenworth  for  Forts  Kearney  and 
Laramie  to  pay  off  troops,  and  carried  with  him  the  money 
necessary  for  that  purpose.  I  never  knew  the  amount,  but 
as  there  were  two  companies  of  Sixth  Infantry  at  Kearney, 
and  one  of  Sixth  Infantry  and  three  of  mounted  rifles  (now 
Third  Cavalry)  at  Laramie,  and  the  average  in  each  com- 
pany about  sixty  men,  and  when  we  reached  them  there 
would  bs  six  or  eight  months'  pay  due,  the  amount  carried 
must  have  been  quite  large,  though  soldiers  then  averaged 
but  about  half  as  much  pay  as  they  get  now — $8  per  month 
for  mounted  privates,  $7  for  infantry  ($1  per  month  re- 
tained from  privates  until  end  of  enlistment),  corporals 
$10,  sergeants  $13,  first  sergeants  $16.  The  escort  con- 
sisted of  one  corporal  and  seven  privates  from  "B"  Com- 
pany, Sixth  Infantry,  and  a  corporal  and  three  privates 
from  "B"  Troop,  First  Dragoons.  Of  the  infantry  I  re- 
member only  the  name  of  the  corporal — Barney  Dun- 
nigan,  a  thoroughly  good,  intelligent,  reliable  young  Irish- 
man ;  his  whole  detail  was  remarkably  good.  The  dragoon 
detail  consisted  of  Corporal  Lowe  and  Privates  Charles 
McDonald,  John  Russel,  and  Edward  O'Meara.  The 
personnel  of  the  last  three  was  remarkable  among  en- 
listed men  of  those  days.  They  enlisted  about  one  year 
ahead  of  me,  hence  had  greatly  the  advantage  in  expe- 
rience. O'Meara  had  been  wounded  in  the  battle  of  the 
Blue  in  the  fall  of  1849,  losing  two  front  teeth  knocked 
out  by  an  arrow  that  cut  his  lip  badly.  He  was  the  only 
man  I  ever  saw  whose  beauty  was  not  marred  by  the  loss 
of  front  teeth.  The  scar  on  his  lip  made  his  smile  all 
the  more  attractive.    He  was  an  Irish  lawyer;  by  birth, 


48  &TVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

education  and  instinct  a  gentleman.  The  troubles  of  1848 
drove  him  to  America;  he  secured  a  position  as  clerk 
in  a  law  office  in  New  York  and  seemed  to  be  well  started 
on  the  road  to  prosperity;  when  some  of  his  young  college 
chums,  in  this  country  for  the  same  reason  that  he  was, 
determined  to  enlist  in  the  army  for  want  >of  something 
better,  and  he 'went  with  them.  This  man,  this  private. -sol- 
dier, entering  upon  his  third  year  of  campaigning,  possessed 
one  of  the  most  genial,  kindly  and  attractive  temperaments 
I  ever  knew.  His  reading  and  travel  had  made  him  a  most 
companionable  man.  With  the  opportunities  now  afforded 
he  would  have  stood  an  examination  and  been  commis- 
sioned. -But  there  was  no  such  privileges  in  his  time. 
Russel  was  a  Philadelphian,  a  printer  and  jolly  joker,  tiad 
been  a  sergeant,  and  volunteered  to; go  on  this' trip  >to 
get  awav  from  the  troop  and  temptation.  CBe  *was  the 
eldest  of  the  party,  as  I  was  the  youngest.  McDonald  was 
a  New  Yorker,  of  Irish  parentage,  and  was  a  geniusr-^a 
fine  draughtsman  and  caricaturist.  Not  a  man  of  out 
party  escaped  his  pencil.  If  these 'three  men  -lacked  any- 
thing to  insure  a  bright  future,  it  was  the  strong: will 
and  sound  judgment  to  act  independently — to  blaze  tke 
way  and  decide  their  own  destiny.  '         a 

Our  transportation  consisted  of;  the  Major's  four-mule 
ambulance  for  himself  and  clerk  (Mr.  Reed),  bne  six-mule 
team  for  the  infantry  and  their  baggage  and  provisions,  one 
six-mule  team  for  the  dragoons"  forage,  provisions  and  tent 
and  the  Major's  baggage  and  servant.  The  Major  had  a 
wall  tent  and  fly  for  himself  and  clerk,  and  a  smalb  cook 
tent.     The  dragoons  had  one  A  tent  and  infantry  two.  -In 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  49 

all,  the  Major,  his  clerk  and  servant,  three  teamsters,  eighi 
infantry,  four  dragoons,  eighteen.  Sixteen  mules  and  four 
horses.  Xot  a  very  large  escort  to  take  so  much  money  300 
miles  to  Fort  Kearney  and  350  more  to  Laramie.  As  I 
ranked  my  friend  Dunnigan  by  a  few  days  in  our  apoint- 
ment  the  Major  gave  his  orders  to  me.  He  was  a  pleasant, 
even-tempered  man,  under  whom  it  was  a  pleasure  to 
serve,  and  on  the  whole  trip  I  never  heard  him  complain. 
Having  seen  enough  of  his  escort  to  satisfy  himself  thai 
all  duty  would  be  carefully  attended  to,  he  was  content. 

There  was  no  boistrous  rowdyism,  but  the  dragoon  camp, 
with  O'Meara  in  tragedy,  "Sallie"  Kussel  in  comedy,  and 
McDonald  as  scenic  artist,  was  the  center  of  attraction.  The 
infantry  had  several  fair  singers,  every  one  could  tell  a 
story,  and  the  time  passed  merrily  away  from  dinner,  as 
soon  as  practicable  after  coming  into  camp,  until  bed  time, 
soon  after  dark.  We  were  on  the  road  about  7:00  and  in 
camp  between  1 :00  and  3 :00.  Our  animals  had  no  forage 
other  than  grass  after  the  first  week.  There  was  much 
rain  during  the  first  part  of  the  journey,  roads  bad,  no 
bridges  over  streams  and  mud  holes,  sometimes  doubling 
teams  and  at  others  hitching  lariat  ropes  on  each  side 
of  wagon  bed  and  all  hands  helping  to  pull,  our  progress 
was  slow. 

After  noon  of  the  fifth  day  we  reached  Walnut  Creek 
about  fifty-five  miles  northwest  of  Fort  Leavenworth.  We 
had  no  rain  during  the  day  and  did  not  expect  to  find  the 
creek  high,  and  though  it  was  running  bank  full  and  one 
hundred  feet  wide,  caused  by  rains  higher  up  the  creek, 
none  of  us  seemed  to  remember  that  its  bed  was  very  deep. 


50  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

I  rode  forward  to  feel  the  way  across,  and  though  very  cau- 
tious and  slow  in  my  movements  my  horse  suddenly  began 
to  slide  and  in  a  moment  nothing  but  my  head  was  above 
water.  But  the  noble  animal  being  a  well  trained  swimmer 
came  up  as  suddenly  as  he  went  down  and  struck  out  boldly 
for  the  oposite  shore,  which  he  made  safely  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  lower  down.  Though  I  had  navigated  the  quick- 
sands of  the  Platte  and  Republican  and  had  been  in  water 
so  deep  that  my  horse  had  to  swim  from  one  sandbar  to 
another,  this  was  my  first  experience  in  swimming  a  horse 
in  a  rapidly  flowing  stream,  and  the  venture  was  so  sudden 
that  the  good  horse-sense  of  the  noble  brute  under  me  was 
my  only  salvation.  In  that  minute  of  peril  to  both  of  us,  I 
thought  of  all  the  rules  of  action  in  similar  emergencies  that 
1  had  ever  heard,  the  main  point  being  to  cling  to  the  mane 
and  the  saddle  and  leave  the  horse  as  free  as  possible,  guid- 
ing him  only  to  give  the  right  direction.  In  this  case  the 
current  took  him  on  to  a.  sloping  bank  in  the  bend  of  the 
creek,  where  he  landed  easily.  If  I  had  expected  to  swim  1 
should  have  divested  myself  of  saber  and  belts,  pistol,  car- 
bine, and  every  unnecessary  thing,  even  to  outer  clothing, 
and  strapped  all  firmly  on  my  saddle.  If  the  west  bank  had 
been  steep  as  the  east  bank  was,  rider  and  horse  would  have 
been  lost,  unless  some  projecting  limb  gave  me  a  chance  to 
escape.  All  was  so  sudden  and  so  quickly  over  that  my 
comrades  had  scarcely  time  to  think,  as  they  expressed  it, 
though  they  instinctively  spurred  their  horses  down  the  east 
bank  in  hopes  to  assist  me.  Immediately  on  landing  I  dis- 
charged my  pistol  and  carbine  so  that  the  water  would  not 
soak  in  under  the  percussion  cap  to  the  powder.    The  Major 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  51 

and  the  dragoons  knew  why  I  did  it,  but  it  added  to  the  ex- 
citement of  others  who  were  without  experience. 

The  Major  went  into  camp  to  wait  until  the  creek  run 
down.  I  stripped  everything  from  my  horse  except  the 
head  halter  and  lariat,  and  from  myself  everything  except 
underclothes,  and  cached  them  with  my  arms  in  some  thick 
brush.  Then  I  looked  carefully  for  a  good  place  to  cross. 
The  east  bank  was  such  that  I  must  land  at  the  road  or 
my  horse  could  not  get  out.  The  current  was  so  swift 
that  if  carried  below  the  road  I  must  go  down  stream. 
No  one  could  throw  a  lariat  across,  and  the  men  took 
the  small  ropes  from  the  ends  of  the  wagon  covers, 
knotted  them  together,  tied  a  stone  to  one  end,  care- 
fully coiled  the  rope  close  to  the  bank  and  stalwart, 
broad-shouldered  Corporal  Dunnigan  threw  it  to  me. 
I  was  afraid  to  trust  the  small  rope  to  null  on  and  told 
the  men  to  tie  several  lariats  together  and  to  the  east 
end  of  small  rope,  which  they  did,  and  I  hauled  them  over 
and  tied  to  the  end  of  my  lariat,  and  they  hauled  the  rope 
taut  on  the  east  side.  I  then  rode  to  the  edge  of  the  stream 
some  distance  above  where  I  must  land,  the  men  in  the 
meantime  keeping  the  rope  taut  and  ready  to  quickly  haul 
in  all  slack.  I  stuck  my  toes  in  behind  the  horse's  elbow 
joints,  and  taking  a  firm  hold  of  the  mane  with  my  left 
hand,  urged  the  horse  with  my  right,  and  he  plunged  in 
and  struck  the  landing  nicely;  but  he  could  not  have  stem- 
med the  current,  and,  slippery  and  steep  as  it  was,  he 
could  not  have  carried  me  out  without  the  assistance  of 
the  men  at  the  ropes.    The  Major  stood  by  and  watched 


52  FtVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

carefully  to  see  that  no  mistakes  were  made,  but  did  not 
interfere.  By  this  time  the  Major's  and  the  infantry  camp 
had  good  fires.  The  water  was  cold  that  April  day,  and 
I  was  thoroughly  chilled.  After  washing  in  hot  water  and 
putting  on  dry  clothes,  I  drank  hot  coffee  and  ate  a  good 
dinner  with  the  infantry,  and  as  my  comrades  had  been 
devoting  their  time  to  me,  they  too  were  fed.  Of  course 
I  was  congratulated  very  much,  not  the  least  by  the 
Major  and  Mr.  Eeed.  I  deserved  little  credit,  but  rather 
censure,  and  said  so,  for  not  dismounting  and  trying  the 
crossing  of  that  swift  running  stream  with  a  pole  or 
stone  on  a  rope — anything  to  make  sure  of  what  I  was 
undertaking. 

There  is  no  place  on  earth  where  a  man  gets  fuller  cred- 
for  every  reasonable  effort,  or  where  exposure  to  danger  is  so 
liberally  rewarded  as  among  his  comrades  in  the  army.  That 
little  adventure  became  one  of  the  traditions  of  "B" 
Troop,  and  lost  nothing  in  the  telling.  McDonald  had  it 
down  in  good  shape  on  paper,  and  while  all  three  of  them 
would  hatch  a  joke  at  my  expense,  it  was  always  in  a 
way  that  left  no  sting. 

These  prairie  streams  run  down-as  quickly  as  they  rise, 
and  by  noon  the  next  day  we  crossed  with  little  difficulty, 
more  than  doubling  teams  and  all  hands  at  ropes,  and  camp- 
ed on  the  west  side. 

Except  continuous  rains  and  bad  creek  crossings  we  had 
no  more  difficulty  until  we  reached  Big  Blue  River,  now 
Marysville,  about  150  miles  from  Fort  Leavenworth.  We 
found  it  bank  full — a  wide  turbulent  torrent,  and  no  pros- 
pect of  its  running  down.     The  Major  was  anxious  to  get 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  53 

over  and  seemed  to  think  we  could  make  a  raft  on  which  to 
lash  One  or  two  wagon  beds  and  cross  over  a  little  at  a  time) 
and  finally  swim  the  animals.  I  set  about  getting  some  dry- 
logs  and  lashing  them  together.  My  comrades,  of  greater 
experience,  could  see  no  use  in  our  efforts,  though  they  took 
hold  wherever  I  asked  them  to,  but  I  worked  with  energy 
all  afternoon  and  fell  into  the  river  several  times.  I  went  to 
camp  thoroughly  exhausted  and  wet;  was  going  to  change 
my  clothes,  but  lay  down  in  the  tent  and  fell  asleep.  The 
next  morning  when  T  awoke  the  sun  was  high.  I  heard  my 
comrades  talking  by  the  camp-fire  wondering  how  I  slept  so 
long.  My  head  seemed  perfectly  clear,  but  I  could  neither 
speak  nor  move,  though  in  no  physical  pain.  Russel  looked 
in  and  seeing  my  eyes-  open,  spoke.  Receiving  no  answer, 
he  came  nearer  and  spoke  again ;  then  he  was  alarmed,  and 
reported  to  the  Major,  who  came  to  the  tent,  spoke  to  me, 
felt  my  pulse,  raised  me  up,  put  a  flask  of  brandy  to  my  lips, 
a  little  at  a  time,  in  the  meantime  a  man  at:each  limb  rub- 
bing me  thoroughly.  I  made  a  spasmodic  effort,  turned 
over  on  my  side,  circulation  seemed  restored,  and  soon  I 
could  speak.  Having  been  thoroughly  rubbed  and  properly 
clothed,  I  could  sit  up,  and  before  night  could  help  myself  in 
a  feeble  way.  The  Major  told  me  not  to  worry  about  any- 
thing) he  would  wait.  I  doubt  if  any  doctor  could  have 
treated  me  better.  In  the  meantime  some,  large  freight 
trains  came  along,  stretched  a  rope  across  the  river,  lashed 
two  large  wagon  beds  together,  and  in  a  few  days  ferried 
over  fifty  wagons  and  their  contents,  and  our  little  outfit — 
all  the  animals,  oxen,  mules  and  horses  being  compelled- -to 
swim.  -  .  ■  -l 


54  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Major  Dougherty,  of  Clay  County,  Missouri,  en  route  to 
Kearney  and  Laramie,  where  he  was  post  trader,  camped 
near  us,  and  a  young  negro  man  belonging  to  him  fell  into 
the  river  and  was  drowned.  The  Major  had  raised  the  boy, 
his  mother  belonging  to  him  and  employed  in  his  family, 
and  he  felt  keenly  the  distress  that  the  news  would  bring  to 
his  household. 

Having  crossed  the  Blue  and  left  the  danger  of  bad  roads 
and  high  water  behind,  we  made  good  time.  I  had  recuper- 
ated a  good  deal,  but  was  weak  and  feverish.  The  Major,  in 
the  goodness  of  his  heart,  made  me  ride  in  the  ambulance 
more  than  half  of  the  time  the  balance  of  the  way,  while  he 
rode  my  horse  to  Kearney,  where  we  spent  several  days. 
Captain  Wharton,  Sixth  Infantry,  commanded  the  post. 

From  Kearney  to  Laramie,  350  miles,  the  journey  was 
pleasant.  At  the  crossing  of  the  South  Platte  we  met  sever- 
al caravans  of  trappers  and  traders  hauling  furs  and  hides 
to  the  Missouri  Kiver.  These  outfits  were  more  remarkable 
as  showing  how  much  a  man  can  make  of  a  little  than  for 
their  elegance.  These  men  had  picked  up  broken  down  and 
abandoned  emigrant  wagons,  crudely  repaired  and  made  a 
large  number  of  carts  and  wagons,  which  enabled  them  to 
move  great  quantities  of  goods  to  steamboat  navigation, 
their  motive  power  being  oxen  that  they  had  found  broken 
down  and  abandoned  or  had  traded  for  with  the  emigrants 
the  year  before.  This  was  to  them  luxurious  transporta- 
tion, for  until  the  heavy  emigration  of  1849  there  had  been 
but  few  cattle  in  the  country.  Heretofore  traders  and  trap- 
pers had  worked  their  way  down  the  Platte  and  Missouri  in 
bull  boats  during  high  water  in  May  or  June,  or  packed  on 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  55 

mules  or  ponies.  We  were  fortunate  in  meeting  these  car- 
avans at  the  crossing.  Here  I  learned  a  good  lesson  in  navi- 
gating a  quicksand  river.  We  reached  the  crossing  on  the 
south  side  and  camped  as  the  traders'  trains  went  into  camp 
on  the  north  side.  The  river  was  quite  deep  for  the  Platte, 
caused  by  melting  snow  in  the  mountains,  half  a  mile  wide 
and  from  one  to  four  feet  deep — quicksand  bottom.  To- 
wards evening  several  of  the  traders  rode  over  to  our  camp 
to  "try  the  river,"  as  they  said.  *Twas  here  I  first  met  Maj- 
or Fitzpatriek,  "Tim"  Goodale,  John  Smith,  and  other 
celebrities  with  well  established  reputations  as  traders,  trap- 
pers and  Indian  fighters.  I  went  with  them  to  their,  camp. 
"Now,"  said  Major  Fitzpatriek,  "if  we  should  hitch  up  and 
start  to  cross  with  a  load  without  beating  down  the  quick- 
sand, thereby  making  a  firm  roadbed,  we  would  get  mired 
in  the  sand;  one  side  would  settle  and  upset  the  wagon, 
or  the  whole  wagon  sink ;  in  short,  'twould  be  impracticable 
to  cross  in  that  way.  Now,  the  way  to  pack  the  sand  and 
make  a  firm  roadbed  is  to  travel  over  it  with  a  lot  of  ani- 
mals until  it  is  well  beaten  down,  and  then  cross1  your  wag- 
ons ;  the  more  travel  over  it  the  better  the  road  gets.  Now, 
in  the  morning  we  will  have  a  lot  of  men  mounted  and 
drive  all  of  our  cattle  over  and  back,  keeping  them  as 
near  together  as  possible,  and  then  we  will  cross  as  fast 
as  we  can,  giving  the  roadbed  no  rest,  and  a  good  way  for 
you  to  do  with  your  little  outfit  will  be  for  you  to  follow 
us  when  we  drive  the  cattle  back."  And  this  we  did, 
crossing  without  trouble. 

Fifteen  miles  from  the  crossing  of  the  South  Platte, 
we  entered  Ash  Hollow  and  struck  the  North  Platte,  up 


56 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


which  we  traveled  to  Fort  Laramie,  passing  Court'  House 
Rock,  Chimney  Rock,  Scotch  Bluffs  and  other  interesting 
points^  all  of  which  have  been  so  well  described  by  Gen- 
erals Fremont,  Cock  and  others  that  I  need  say  no  more 
than  that  no  one  can  realize  how  wonderful  they  are  with- 
out having  seen  them. 


The  Laramie  River  is  a  lovely,  clear  mountain  stream, 
about  the  volume  of  the  Little  Blue  or  Pawnee  Fork  of  the 
Arkansas.  The  post  of  Fort  Laramie  is  located  on  its  west 
bank,,  above  and  south  of  where  it  flows  into  the  North 
Platte.  Our  infantry  detachment  was  quartered  with  Com- 
pany G,  Sixth  Infantry;  Major  Macklin  and  his  clerk  were 
quartered  with  Captain  Ketchum,  commanding  Company 
G  and  the  post,  and  I  was  sent  up  the  Laramie  where  the 
dragoons  and  teamsters  with  all  the  animals  were  to  camp 
during  our  stay.  Four  miles  above  the  post,  on  the. oppo- 
site side  of  the  river,  which  was  f  ordable  almost  any  place, 


FIVE  7EARS  A  DRAGOON.  57 

I  found  a  camp,  as  O'Meara  expressed  it,  "Fit  for  the 
gods" — one  of  the  most  lovely  spots  I  have  ever  seen.  We 
owed  our  good  fortune  in  not  being  attached  to  one  of  the 
three  troops  of  mounted  rifles  stationed  at  the  post  to  the 
fact  that  there  was  no  forage  except  grass,  and  that  was 
eaten  oft'  close  to  the  sandy  ground  for  some  miles,  and  to 
the  fact  that  most  of  the  rifles  were  camped  out  for  the 
purpose  of  foraging  their  horses.  That  was  why  \  went 
s'6  far  from  the  post  and  camped  on  the  opposite  bank. 
Here  the  teamsters  had  nothing  to  do  but  take  care  of 
themselves,  herd  their  mules  during  the  day,  picket  them 
out  at  night,  and  take  their  turn  with  the  dragoons  stand- 
ing guard.  The  dragoons  had  nothing  to  do  except  to  take 
care  of  themselves  and  horses,  and  do  their  share  of  guard 
duty.  I  reported  to  the  Major  at  the  post  every  day  about 
ten  o'clock. 

•'And  now  followed  one  of  the  most  happy  months  of 
my  life.  -O'Meara  described  this  camp'  in  prose  and  poetry 
that  would  be  fine  reading  to-day,  but  alas,  in  youth  how 
little*- we  think  -of  the  future!  Of  all  of  our  trip'  there 'is 
no  record,  not  ^even  a  morning  report,  as  with  the  troop. 
That  report  shows  Corporal  Lowe  and  Private  Russel, 
O'Meara  and  McDonald  on  detached  service  escorting  pay- 
master to  Fort  Laramie,  and  that  is  all  there  is  of  one  of 
the  most  interesting 'trips  I  ever  participated  in.  But  I 
can  see  the  camp  now,1  fifty-five  years  later,  in  memory, 
lovely,  green  and  beautiful  as  ever — an  amphitheater  of 
rugged  hills,  the  pure,  clear  river  with  its  pebbly  bottom 
running  gently  by,  fringed  with  willows,  orchards  of  box 
elders  Tin  the  bottoms,  cedars  and  pines  upon  the -hills, 
fragrant  flowers  on  every  hand.     Any  good  hunter  could 


58  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

bring  in  a  black-tailed  deer  in  a  few  hours,  and  the  river 
afforded  plenty  of  .fish. 

All  of  our  party  could  cook,  but  McDonald  was  excel- 
lent, Russel  made  good  bread,  and  O'Meara,  well,  he  was 
the  epicure  of  the  party;  the  coffee  must  be  browned  just 
so,  a  certain  quantity  of  ground  coffee  to  a  given  amount 
of  water;  the  venison  must  be  seasoned  right,  whatever 
that  was,  and  'twas  always  good.  Everything  was  clean, 
tin  cups  and  plates  included.  We  had  new  forks  at  every 
meal;  McDonald  insisted  on  that,  and  O'Meara  whittled 
them  out  of  tough  dry  willow — straight  sharp  sticks.  We 
stretched  the  Major's  tent  fly  for  a  dining-room,  drove  down 
four  stakes  to  lay  the  endgate  of  the  wagon  on,  and  that 
was  our  table;  water-buckets  and  boxes  for  seats.  Russel 
tore  a  flour-sack  into  squares,  hemmed  them  and  put  one 
at  each  man's  plate.  "Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "must  use 
napkins,"  and  he  changed  them  as  often  as  was  necessary. 
Another  flour-sack  ripped  open  made  a  table-cloth.  Rus- 
sel and  O'Meara  did  most  of  the  hunting,  and  we  were 
seldom  without  venison.  McDonald  put  out  the  hooks  at 
night  and  was  almost  sure  to  have  nice  channel  catfish  for 
breakfast.  I  frequently  took  down  a  quarter  of  venison 
to  the  Major.  Except  reporting  to  him  daily  I  made  it  a 
rule  not  to  be  out  of  sight  of  camp  long  at  a  time.  I  ex- 
plored every  nook  for  several  miles  around  and  reveled  in 
the  pure  air,  the  delicious  water  and  the  delightful  scen- 
ery. We  moved  a  short  distance  and  made  a  fresh  camp 
every  few  days  for  cleanliness  and  good  grass.  The  Major 
gave  me  some  papers  out  of  the  semi-monthly  mail,  and  we 
borrowed  a  few  books  from  Gr  Company.    We  furnished 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  59 

our  three  teamsters  meat  and  fish.  One  of  them,  "Bill" 
Anderson,  was  six  feet  four  inches  tall,  a  comical,  good- 
natured  Missourian.  One  day  I  sent  him  down  to  G  Com- 
pany with  one  big  buck  and  half  of  another.  When  he 
found  the  first  sergeant  he  was  on  parade  at  guard  mount- 
ing, standing  at  "parade  rest."  Anderson  slouched  along 
down  to  the  sergeant  and  said,  "See  here,  the  boss  sent 
me  down  with  some  meat  and  I  don't  know  what  to  do 
with  it ;  I  'm  'feared  my  mules  '11  git  skeered  when  this 
here  drum  beats."  The  Sergeant  said,  "Well,  you  run 
for  your  mules  and  I'll  see  you  later."  And  Bill  ran 
and  got  there  in  time  to  be  escorted  off  the  parade-ground 
by  Captain  Ketchum's  order,  with  the  threat  to  put  him 
in  the  guard-house  if  he  was  caught  here  again.  This 
man  stayed  in  Government  employ,  was  with  me  in  the 
Kansas  war  in  1856  and  on  the  Cheyenne  expedition  in 
1857 — served  in  the  volunteers  in  the  war  between  the 
States,  and  died  in  the  Soldiers'  Home  in  1900,  always 
a  faithful,  reliable  man. 

One  night  there  was  a  heavy  storm  of  rain,  thunder  and 
lightning,  lasting  till  morning,  when  two  mules  were  miss- 
ing. We  had  been  in  the  neighborhood  two  weeks  and 
these  mules  had  not  been  out  of  it  except  when  Anderson 
went  with  meat  or  for  rations,  and  no  one  thought  they 
would  leave.  O'Meara,  Bussel  and  I  mounted  and  circled 
around  awhile  without  finding  their  trail.  I  then  told 
Russel  to  go  down  the  river  and  O'Meara  up,  while  I  crossed 
over  and  struck  out  toward  the  post.  They  were  dragging 
long  lariats  fastened  to  picket  pins,  and  the  trail  ought  to 


60  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

be  easily  found.  On  an  old  wood  road  half-way  to  the 
post  I  found  such  a  trail  as  they  would  make,  but  rain  had 
fallen  upon  it,  and  if  the  trail  of  my  mules,  it  had  been 
made  in  the  night  during  the  storm.  I  followed  it,  pass- 
ing west  of  the  post  to  the  ferry  across  ,the  North  Platte. 
The  ferryman  was  just  up  and  had  not  seen  any  mules. 
He  was  a  good-natured  fellow  who  knew  everything  and 
didn't  "believe  no  durned  mule  would  do  such  a  fool  thing 
as  ter  leave  camp  'n  all  his  friends  'n  pass  the  post  'n  come 
down  ter  my  ferry  ter  swim  when  therms  er  boat  wait- 
in'  fer  'im."  However  much  I  might  respect  the  fer- 
ryman's .knowledge  of  mules,  the  fact  remained  that  I  had 
followed  this  trail  more  than  three  miles.  I  knew  a  mule's 
peculiarity  for  following  a  trail  when  once  on  it,  and  in- 
sisted on  crossing  and  taking  a  loojc  ,on-  the  other  sid^. 
The  ferryman  crossed- me  reluctantly,  protesting  that  I 
woulcf  have  my  trouble  for  nothing.      i  _ ,.* 

-  Having  landed,  I  pointed- out  to  him  the  marks  of  two 
ropes  with  pins  attached  going  up  the  bank.  He  insisted 
that  it  was  something  else,  and  I  left  hiim  following  the 
trail  with  ease  for  several  miles  along  a  rjroad  lodge  .pole 
trail  made  by  Indians.  It  was  as  easily  followed  as  a  plain 
wagon  roacl.  Then  the  trail  left  the  road ,  and  the  mules 
had  grazed,  zig-zagging  here  and  there,  but  finally  caiqe 
into  the  Indian  road  again,  and  here  their  trial,  was  fresja 
— made  since  the  rain ;  one  or  two  shoes  were  off  as  shown 
by  the  tracks.  I  knew  that  some  of  our  mules  were  in  that 
condition,  and  felt. sure  that,  strange  as  it  might  appear,  1 
was  on  the  right  trail,  and  urged  my  horse  forward  rapidly 
for  some  time,  hoping  every  high  point  I  reached  to  see 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  61 

the  mules.  The  farther  I  went  the  more  mystified  I  was, 
for  this  trail  ran  west  up  the  north  side  of  North  Platte' — 
straight  away  from  any  place  these  mules  had  ever  been,  so 
far  as  I  knew.  Much  of  the  way  the  trail  showed  that  they 
were  traveling  at  a  trot ;  and  going  down  some  hills  there 
were  marks  showing  that  occasionally  a  picket  pin  had 
caught  on  a  tuft  of  grass  and  bounded  forward  several 
feet,  a  thing  that  would  not  occur  at  a,  walk.  It  was  evir 
dent  they  were  traveling  of  their  own  free  will,  because 
there  were  no  other  tracks,  and  if  ridden  the  lariats  would 
have  been  gathered  up  and  hot  allowed  to  drag.  As  the 
forenoon 'dragged  along  my  horse  advised  me  that  I  was 
asking  too  much  of  him.  I  had  had  no  breakfast,  was  feel- 
ing keenly  the  want  of  it,  -and -while  I  must  do  without  I 
must  not  destroy  my  horse's  usefulness-  and  so  I  grazed 
him  awhile,  meantime  taking  off'  the  saddle,  smoothing 
down  his  back  with  my  hand,  adjusting  the.  blanket,  wash- 
ing his  legs'  in  a  pool  of  water,  and  he  thanked  me,  the 
rjoor  hrute;1  for  «very  kindly  touch.  ~  ' 

IiS  half' an  hour  I- mounted  again" and  started  on;  and 
now  I  settled  down  to -studying  my  horseV  strength  and 
<3oingc'all  I  eoulH  within  it.  Tuesday  was  lovely,  the  land- 
scape green  and  beautiful,  the  air  pure  and  fresh  and  not 
too  hot— just  right  for  a  *long  ride.  I  grazed  my  horse  a 
little  "several  times,  peering  anxiously  from  the  top  of  ev- 
ery rise.  Along  in  the  afternoon  I  found  myself  on  a  grad- 
ual rise  going  steadily  up,  up,  for  miles,  the  ridge  ahead 
seeming  little  nearer  for  a  long  time.  1  knew  that  when 
I  reached  the  top  of  that  ridge  I  would  see  a  long  distance 
unless- the  country  was  broken,  and  so  my  thoughts  and 


62  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

eyes  were  forward,  anticipating  the  scene  that  was  to  open. 

Coming  up  on  the  level  ground  my  horse  stopped,  head 
high,  nostrils  distended,  ears  pointing  forward,  and  every 
muscle  strained  to  the  fullest  tension — no  fear,  hut  eager- 
ness seemed  io  possess  him.  In  the  last  ten  miles  I  must 
have  risen  three  hundred  feet,  most  of  which  I  would  go 
down  in  one  mile  farther.  Then  commenced  the  river  bot- 
tom extending  as  far  west  as  I  could  see,  and.  one  mile  wide 
from  river  to  bluff.  On  this  bottom  an  Indian  camp  ex- 
tending perhaps  two  miles  along  the  river — a  nomadic  city 
of  magnificent  dimensions.  It  was  a  mile  to  the  lower  end 
of  this  vast  camp,  and  I  looked  down  upon  every  part  of 
it.  Many  lodges  were  just  being  put  up;  quite  a  number 
were  coming  in  over  the  hills  from  the  north.  Evidently 
this  was  a  new  camp,  growing  larger  all  the  time,  but  none 
of  it  had  passed  over  the  trail  that  I  had  followed.  Great 
herds  of  horses  were  grazing  above  and  north  of  the  camp. 
The  scene  before  me  was  one  of  great  activity,  the  build- 
ing of  a  new  city,  and  under  more  pleasant  circumstances 
would  have  been  an  interesting  study,  but  to  me  there  was 
nothing  pleasant  about  it.  I  dismounted  and  rubbed 
"Chub's''  nose.  I  felt  the  need  of  friendly  company,  and 
he  was  all  I  had. 

My  journey  seemed  to  be  ended.  Here  I  was  upon  the 
trail,  my  mules  probably  with  one  of  the  Indian  herds,  but 
could  I  get  them?  And  how?  I  did  not  believe  the  In- 
dians would  give  them  to  me  without  a  reward,  which  I 
could  not  give,  and  possibly  some  mourner  who  had  lost  a 
friend  might  try  to  get  even  by  taking  my  scalp;  this  was 
a  way  they  had  of  doing,  and  I  hesitated.  I  could  not  bear 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  (53 

the  idea  of  trailing  my  mules  to  the  very  edge  of  this  camp 
and  then  giving  it  up — weakening,  as  the  boys  say.  But 
what  hope  had  I  of  accomplishing  anything?  My  judg- 
ment said,  get  back  to  Laramie  and  let  the  mules  go;  m\ 
pride  caused  me  to  hesitate,  and  the  longer  I  hesitated  the 
firmer  my  pride  held  me.  In  this  frame  of  mind  I  led 
my  horse  behind  a  low  bluff  and  sat  down  while  he  grazed. 

It  was  now  probably  five  o'clock.  Suddenly  my  horse 
threw  his  head  high  as  under  great  excitement.  Without 
looking  for  the  cause  I  sprang  into  the  saddle.  All  around 
me  were  mounted  Indians — twenty  or  more  young  bucks — 
bows  and  arrows  in  hand.  I  was  completely  surrounded, 
and  to  run  might  insure  being  riddled  with  arrows,  and  so 
I  put  on  an  air  of  indifference,  showed  the  trail  of  my 
mules,  and  tried  to  beat  into  their  stolid  heads  the  fact 
that  I  wanted  them.  They  let  me  go  through  the  mo- 
tions for  five  minutes  with  perfect  indifference.  Finally 
one  of  them  said,  "Kig-e-la."  Seeing  that  I  did  not  un- 
derstand, he  said,  "Wa-se-che  kig-e-la  etoncha  tepe," 
pointing  to  the  Indian  camp,  all  of  which  was  Greek  to 
me,  but  which  I  afterwards  learned  meant:  "White  man 
go  to  chief's  tepe  (lodge),  and  I  drifted  along  with,  them 
in  that  direction. 

Having  arrived  at  headquarters,  the  chief  saluted  me 
with,  "How,  how,  cola,  how !"  and  shook  hands ;  numerous 
others  did  the  same.  My  escort  melted  away,  and  in  re- 
sponse to  his  pantomimic  invitation,  I  dismounted  and  en- 
tered his  palace,  where  he  invited  me  to  rest  on  a  pile  of 
robes  and  furs.    A  squaw  took  the  saddle  and  bridle  from 

my  horse  and  led  him  awav.     After  awhile  she  returned 
5— 


64 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


with  the  picket  pin  and  laid  it  inside  the  lodge.  Looking 
where  she  laid  it  I  saw  two  others,  worn  bright  from  drag- 
ging on  the  ground,  and  was  sure  they  belonged  to  the 
mules.  I  gave  special  attention  to  the  dried  venison  and 
buffalo  laid  before  me,  hardly  realizing  how  hungry  I  was 
until  I  struck  that  soft  couch  and  food.  A  squaw  brought 
me  some  soup,  probably  dog,  but  it  was  good.  I  had  been 
twenty-four  hours  and  had  ridden  all  day  without  food. 
Women  and  children  peeped  in  to  gratify  curiosit}',  and 
the  warriors  and  braves  came  and  went  continually.      A 

circle  of  apparently 
distinguished  men  was 
formed,  the  chief  oppo- 
site me,  a  pipe  was  light- 
> .^a^fc^^^  ^L  e^>  passed  and  smoked 
^ft-  **y$P*  i  S^  3$V  ky  all.  Whatever  nerv- 
ousness I  had  felt  was 
gone.  I  seemed  to  be  tak- 
ing on  the  stolidity  of  an 
Indian.  Seeming  to  real- 
ize that  I  must  be  tired, 
the  lodge  was  soon  va- 
cated and  in  spite  of  my 
peculiar  surroundings  I 
slept.  When  I  awoke  it 
was  vdark  inside,  but  bright  fires  burning  outside  all  over 
the  camp,  and  from  end  to  end  tremendous  excitement. 
This  was  my  first  night  with  the  great  Sioux  Nation,  and 
T  knew  little  of  them,  but  enough  to  convince  me  that 
something  exciting  had  occurred.     I  sat  down  outside  of 


Sioux. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  55 

the  lodge,  leaning  against  it  so  that  I  could  see  a  long  dis- 
tance into  the  camp.  The  scene  before  me  was  one  never 
to  be  forgotten — in  short,  it  was  a  war  dance.  A  war  party 
of  Sioux  had  killed  six  Crows  and  brought  in  their  scalps; 
but  it  was  not  all  a  Sioux  victory,  for  there  was  mourning 
for  some  of  the  Sioux  who  never  returned. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  it.  N^ot  all  the  demons  of 
the  infernal  region,  with  sulphurous  torches,  horns  and 
cloven  feet,  nor  anything  else  the  imagination  can  picture 
could  excel  the  beastly  human  nature  here  displayed.  Grad- 
ually the  clans  joined  in  until  the  main  display  was  near 
the  chief's  headquarters;  the  victors  came  near  and  shook 
the  bloody  scalps  almost  in  my  face  as  they  danced  and 
paraded  up  and  down,  beating  tom-toms  and  emitting  un- 
earthly yells,  whether  to  honor  or  to  intimidate  I  did  not 
know,  but  afterwards  concluded  that  it  was  neither.  The 
warriors  just  wanted  to  show  the  wa-se-che  (white  man) 
by  the  war  dance  what  they  could  do,  and  the  weeping  and 
howling  of  the  squaws  and  near  relatives  of  the  dead  repre- 
sented genuine  grief.  This  din  was  kept  up  long  past  mid- 
night, and  gradually  died  out  from  sheer  exhaustion  of  the 
actors. 

On  that  couch  of  furs  I  fell  asleep  toward  morning, 
and  was  awakened  by  the  sun  shining  into  the  lodge.  I  sat 
up  and  took  an  inventory  of  my  surroundings.  The  old 
monarch,  one  squaw,  with  baby  at  her  breast,  and  a  half  a 
dozen  youngsters — boys  and  girls — were  asleep.  An  adjoin- 
ing lodge  held  two  or  three  more  squaws  and  several  young- 
sters of  his  family;  outside  was  a  solitary  squaw  boiling 
some  meat.     From  end  to  end  the  camp  was  silent — even 


66  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

the  thousands  of  dogs  that  had  lent  their  aid  to  the  hellish 
din  during  the  night  were  all  asleep.  I  came  out  and  sat 
down;  the  old  squaw  brought  me  some  meat  from  the  ket- 
tle on  a  stick  and  some  of  the  soup  in  a  cup.  I  enjoyed  it 
so  much  that  she  brought  more,  and  I  feasted.  We  seemed 
to  be  the  only  people  awake.  Indians  never  get  up  early 
without  some  special  incentive;  they  want  the  dew  off  so 
that  their  moccasins  will  not  get  wet.  Between  seven  and 
eight  o'clock  a  couple  of  bucks  came  in  from  a  herd  driv- 
ing some  horses  and  mules,  and  as  they  drew  near  I  saw 
mine.  Here  they  came  at  a  rattling  gait,  my  two  mules 
and  horse  looking  little  worse  for  the  previous  day's  fa- 
tigue. The  old  squaw  who  gave  me  breakfast  caught  the 
lariat  of  my  horse,  led  him  to  the  lodge,  reached  in  and 
pulled  out  my  saddle,  blanket  and  bridle,  while  the  men 
helped  themselves  at  the  kettle.  The  squaw  was  going  to 
saddle  my  horse,  but  I  did  it  to  suit  myself,  while  she  chat- 
tered and  laughed  with  the  men.  The  people  in  the  lodge 
came  out  and  a  few  from  other  lodges  gathered  around. 
The  big  e-ton-cha  looked  as  if  he  had  spent  a  rollicking 
night  at  the  club;  his  eyes  were  bloodshot  and  he  looked 
drowsy.  He  and  the  men  talked  some  together;  he  evi- 
dently asked  the  squaw  if  I  had  eaten  plenty;  went  to  a 
pile  of  dried  meat,  selected  a  lot  of  nice  pieces  and  put 
them  in  my  holster.  Then  he  shook  hands  with  me  and 
said,  "How  cola,  kig-e-la  wa-se-che  tepe."  "How"  was  the 
common  salutation  on  meeting  or  parting  with  white  men, 
and  all  the  English  most  Indians  knew;  the  other  words 
meant:   "Go,  friend,  the  white  man's  tepe." 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  67 

I  did  not  stand  upon  the  order  of  going,  but  wanted 
to  reward  this  prince  to  whom  I  was  under  so  many  obli- 
gations. I  had  on  a  very  large  red  and  yellow  silk  hand- 
kerchief, a  luxury  I  always  indulged  in  on  the  plains.  1 
often  tied  it  around  my  hat  and  brought  it  around  so  as 
to  cover  my  neck  and  most  of  my  face  to  keep  off  the  sun 
and  the  oestiferous  gnats.  If  not  in  use  any  other  way 
it  hung  loosely  around  my  neck  to  keep  off  the  sun  and  wipe 
away  perspiration.  Though  it  cost  me  $2.50  out  of  my 
munificent  salary,  I  could  afford  it,  for  it  was  cheaper  than 
whiskey  at  twenty-five  cents  a  gallon.  This  handkerchief 
I  wanted  to  give  to  the  chief,  placed  it  around  his  neck, 
pulled  out  my  four-bladed  knife  and  put  it  in  his  han'd.  I 
was  the  most  thankful  of  men  and  anxious  to  prove  it.  If 
any  one  thing  more  than  another  would  tempt  an  Indian 
to  commit  murder  or  any  other  bad  act,  it  would  be  to 
possess  himself  of  such  a  beautiful  handkerchief.  If  I  were 
in  battle  against  Indians,  I  would  hide  such  a  temptation 
quickly,  for  fear  that  every  effort  would  be  centered  upon 
destroying  me  to  possess  it.  The  chief  felt  of  it,  looked 
at  the  sun  through  it,  rubbed  it  over  his  face  and  handed 
it  back  to  me.  1  opened  the  blades  of  the  knife;  he  felt 
of  them  slowly  and  said:  "Wash-ta"  (good),  and  handed 
it  back.  I  pressed  them  on  him,  but  he  only  said:  <fWas- 
e-che  washta"  (white  man  good),  and  declined  to  accept. 
I  offered  the  handkerchief  to  his  squaw  with  the  suckling 
babe,  but  she  laughed,  shook  her  head  and  would  not  touch 
it.  I  could  not  pay  this  nobleman  for  his  hospitality,  trou- 
ble and  protection;  I  even  feared  that  he  thought  less  of 
me,  this  savage  king,  than  if  I  had  gone  away  with  more 


68  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

dignity  and  less  patronizing  display.  Well,  having  said 
"giood^bye,"  I  coiled  the  lariat  ropes  carefully  about  the 
mules'  necks,  fastened  them  securely,  mounted  my  horse 
and  started.  The  two  Indians  who  brought  in  the  mules 
started  with  me  and  drove  them  over  the  bluffs  where  I  first 
saw  the  camp  and  then  said,  "How,"  and  turned  back.  I 
persuaded  one  of  them  to  stay  with  me,  thinking  that  he 
might  be  of  service  in  case  I  met  other  Indians.  On  we 
came,  down  the  long  slope,  making  what  time  I  thought 
my  horse  would  stand,  grazing  a  while  two  or  three  times, 
and  reached  the  ferry  while  the  sun  was  an  hour  high.  I 
folly  expected  my  Indian  friend  to  go  to  camp  with  me, 
but  he  refused  and  said,  "How  cola."  I  bought  him  two 
loaves  of  bread  from  the  ferryman,  which  he  tied  in  the 
corner  of  his  blanket,  and  said,  "Skaw-papoose" — that  is, 
he  would  save  it  for  them,  his  wife  and  child,  I  tried  in 
vain  to  press  my  handkerchief  upon  him,  but  he  refused, 
and  took  another  loaf  of  bread,  all  the  ferryman  had. 

This  benighted  ferryman  had  seen  no  one  from  the 
post,  and  supposed  I  had  recrossed  at  a  ford  some  miles 
above.  "Well,  dog  me !  ef  them  mules  ain't  h — 1, 1  '11  never 
ferry  another  pilgrim,  durn  my  buttons."  I  wanted  to  go 
through  the  post  to  report  to  the  Major,  but  instead  of 
keeping  outside  of  the  parade-ground  the  mules  set  up  an 
unearthly  braying  and  ran  directly  in  front  of  the  com- 
manding officer's  quarters.  Of  course,  I  must  follow  them, 
and  as  I  got  there  Captain  Ketchum  ran  out  and  said: 
"What  are  you  riding  over  this  parade  for  ?"  I  halted  to 
explain,  when  he  recognized  me.  I  told  him  how  it  hap- 
pened, which  was  satisfactory,  and  asked  him  to  please  say 


FlVfi,  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  69 

to  the  Major  that  I  had  returned  with  the  mules  and  would 
report  in  the  morning. 

I  reached  camp  about  dark.  Russel  washed  "Chub's" 
back  and  legs,  and  rubbed  him  down  good.  McDonald 
got  hot  water,  O'Meara  rubbed  me  down  in  a  hot  bath,  1 
got  on  clean  clothes,  ate  a  good  supper,  rolled  myself  in 
the  blankets,  and  told  them  to  wake  me  in  time  to  get  to 
the  post  by  ten  o'clock.  Russei  had  reported  to  the  Major 
the  day  I  left  and  the  day  I  returned;  all  were  consider- 
ably worried  and  puzzled  at  my  absence.  No  one  had 
thought  of  looking  in  the  direction  of  the  ferry.  Kussel 
had  been  down  the  road  east  of  the  post  eight  or  ten 
miles,  talked  with  some  traders,  and  concluded  that  they 
had  not  gone  in  that  direction. 

I  rode  McDonald's  horse,  reported  to  the  Major  next 
morning  and  told  my  adventures  to  him  and  Captain 
Ketchum.  A  guide  and  interpreter  was  called  in  to  listen 
to  my  description  of  the  camp,  and  he  said  it  was  over  fifty 
miles  from  the  ferry  across  North  Platte,  and  several  trad- 
ers familiar  with  the  country,  with  whom  I  talked,  did  not 
put  any  lower  estimate  upon  it.  The  puzzle  was,  why  did 
the  mules  go  there  ?  It  turned  out  that  a  lot  of  troops  had 
been  camped  there  about  a  year  before,  and  it  was  believed 
that  these  mules  belonged  to  that  command  and  had  been 
taken  to  Fort  Leavenworth  in  the  fall,  as  all  stock  that 
could  be  spared  was  taken  there  to  winter.  This  seemed 
the  only  solution  to  such  a  freak  on  the  part  of  these  two. 
Estimating  that  I  lost  ten  miles  in  hunting  the  trail  go- 
ing, would  make  sixty-five  miles  the  first  day  and  fifty-five 
the  next  day — one  hundred  and  twenty  miles. 


70  FlVfi  TEARS  A  DRA&OOlt- 

All  too  soon  the  time  came  for  us  to  start  on  the  return 
trip  to  Fort  Leavenworh,  and  we  left  "Camp  Macklin," 
named  by  me  in  honor  of  Major  Macklin,  with  many  re- 
grets. We  had  enjoyed  a  month  of  positive  pleasure  and 
happiness,  the  like  of  which  we  might  not  hope  for  soon 
again. 

At  Laramie  we  were  joined  by  Mrs.  Rhett,  wife  of 
Brevet  Captain  Rhett,*  of  the  mounted  rifles,  and  her  two 
small  children  and  a  servant,  her  transportation  being  a 
light  wagon  and  four-mule  team.  Having  crossed  to  the 
east  side  of  Scotts  Bluffs,  about  fifty  miles  east  of  Laramie, 
we  turned  south  and  camped  near  a  trading-post  belong- 
ing to  Major  Dripps,  who  was  or  had  been  an  Indian  agent. 
He  was  to  join  us  the  next  morning  and  travel  in  our  com- 
pany to  the  Missouri  River.  Our  camp  was  made  about 
noon  on  a  plateau  where  grass  was  very  short.  A  ravine 
twenty-five  feet  deep  ran  by  the  camp,  sixty  feet  wide  at 
bottom,  with  steep  banks.  At  the  bottom  of  this  ravine 
was  a  small  spring  from  which  we  got  water.  It  also  con- 
tained fine  grass,  and  in  it  we  picketed  our  animals. 

About  two  o'clock  there  was  sharp  lightning  and  loud 
thunder,  evidently  a  heavy  storm  some  distance  in  the 
bluffs,  which  kept  gathering  force  and  coming  nearer  to 
our  camp.  But  while  the  sun  was  still  unobscured  by 
clouds  where  we  were,  water  which  had  fallen  a  long  way 
off  came  down  the  ravine,  increasing  rapidly.     We  hurried 

♦Thomas  Grimke  Rhett  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina 
and  a  graduate  of  the  M.A.  in  1845.  He  resigned  in  April, 
1861,  to  enter  the  Confederate  Army.  He  was  Assistant  Ad- 
jutant General  from  1861  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He  died  July 
27,  1878. 


ftTti  YEARS  A  DRAGOON-  71 

to  the  animals  and  got  about  half  of  them  out  and  tied 
to  the  wagons  before  the  water  was  ten  to  fifteen  feet  deep, 
and  the  other  animals  on  the  other  side  of  it  where  we 
could  not  reach  them,  and  if  their  frantic  exertions  had 
not  enabled  them  to  pull  their  picket  pins  they  must  have 
drowned.  Before  the  storm  struck  us  the  water  was  twen- 
ty feet  deep,  and  great  logs  coming  down  at  the  rate  of 
twenty  miles  an  hour.  The  Major  and  Mr.  Reed  got  Mrs. 
Rhett  and  her  children  into  her  wagon,  we  drove  picket 
pins  into  the  ground  and  tied  ropes  to  the  wagon-wheels 
and  had  everything  as  safe  as  could  be  made,  when  one 
of  the  most  fearful  storms  I  ever  experienced  struck  us. 
The  wind  did  not  blow  very  hard,  but  rain  with  heavy  hail 
came  down  in  torrents.  Standing  in  our  tent  I  dipped  up 
a  hat  full  of  the  mixture  and  after  the  water  ran  out 
through  a  hole,  the  hat  was  two-thirds  full  of  large  hail. 
On  the  slightly  sloping  ground  the  water  was  half-way 
to  one's  knees,  from  which  mav  be  inferred  what  a  deluge 
was  falling.  Fortunately  the  storm  passed  ouickly,  and 
by  five  o'clock  the  sun  was  smiling  as  sweetly  as  ever;  the 
creek  ran  down  as  quickly  as  it  came  up. 

We  had  two  horses,  mine  and  O'Meara's,  and  on  them 
we  started  to  find  the  lost  animals.  The  storm  obliterated 
the  trail,  and  we  had  no  guide  but  the  direction  of  the 
storm.  It  came  from  the  southwest,  and  the  stock  must 
drift  before  that  pelting  hail  to  the  northeast,  and  in 
that  direction  towards  a  line  of  high  red  bluffs  we  rode. 
We  must  find  them  before  dark  if  possible,  as  if  they  had 
all  night  the  start  we  might  have  a  long  chase.  Fortunate- 
ly we  found  them  about  eight  miles  from  camp  on  the 


72  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

west  side  of  an  ampitheatre  of  perpendicular  bluffs,  all  to- 
gether, grazing  contentedly  at  sunset.  We  managed  to 
catch  all  of  them  and  take  off  their  picket  pins.  Except- 
ing a  few  slight  wounds,  none  of  the  animals  were  hurt. 
We  fixed  the  ropes  around  their  necks  and  started  for  camp 
about  dark,  where  we  arrived  two  hours  later. 

I  had  asked  McDonald  and  Russel  to  keep  a  bright  fire 
of  pine  knots,  of  which  they  had  plenty,  so  that  we  could 
see  the  light,  which  was  a  great  help.  When  the  stock 
was  all  caught  and  made  safe  Bill  Anderson  said:  "Well, 
I  '11  be  gol  durned  if  they  hain't  got  the  last  one  on  'urn." 
This  was  one  of  the  best  lessons  I  ever  learned,  never  to 
camp  in  a  ravine  or  where  the  camp  could  possibly  over- 
flow by  a  sudden  rise,  never  to  trust  stock  where  by  any 
possibility  one  can  not  reach  them.  I  have  seen  thousands 
of  camps  in  attractive  places  like  that  ravine,  for  conven- 
ience of  water  and  wood,  because  the  people  were  too  lazy 
to  carry  water  or  wood,  and  I  have  almost  every  year  read 
of  some  of  them  being  drowned  and  their  outfits  destroyed. 
There  was  no  other  incident  worth  mentioning  on  the  trip, 
no  accidents,  no  losses  and  no  friction. 

We  met  emigrants  continually,  in  great  numbers,  en 
route  to  California,  Oregon  and  Salt  Lake. 

Before  leaving  Laramie,  Major  Macklin  had  informed 
me  that  soon  after  we  left  Fort  Leavenworth  B  Troop  had 
been  ordered  on  a  forced  march  to  Fort  Adkinson,  on  the 
Arkansas  River,  to  relieve  D  Company,  Sixth  Infantry, 
quartered  in  a  sod -fort  (Adkinson),  which  was  surrounded 
and  threatened  by  the  Kiowa  and  Comanche  Indians. 
Nothing  further  had  been  heard  from  them.     He  also  in- 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  73 

formed  me  that  there  was  to  be  a  great  assemblage  of  In- 
dians near  Fort  Laramie  early  in  the  fall,  at  which  all  the 
tribes  that  could  be  induced  to  come  were  to  meet,  smoke 
the  pipe  of  peace,  make  treaties  between  tribes  and  the  tribes 
with  the  Government,  and  to  wind  up  with  a  general  dis- 
tribution of  presents  from  the  Great  Father.  At  Kearney 
we  heard  the  same  report  and  nothing  more. 

At  what  is  now  called  "West  End,"  then  the  dragoon 
drill-ground,  the  Major  halted  and  made  us  a  little  speech, 
in  which  he  recounted  the  uniform  good  conduct  of  his  es- 
cort and  the  pleasure  and  freedom  from  care  they  had  given 
him  during  the  trip.  The  dragoons  had  taken  upon  them- 
selves to  look  after  Mrs.  Rhett's  camp,  pitch  and  take  down 
her  tent,  and  soon  after  our  arrival  at  Fort  Leavenworth 
Mrs.  Ehett  sent  for  me,  and  through  me  sent  her  thanks 
and  a  nice  present  to  each  of  the  dragoons  for  special 
kindness  and  attention  to  her  and  her  children  during 
the  trip. 

And  now  we  heard  that  B  Troop,  having  relieved  Ad- 
kinson  without  serious  trouble,  had  been  ordered  back, 
and  would,  after  its  return,  proceed  to  Fort  Laramie. 

The  infantry  part  of  the  escort  was  at  home  with  its 
company.  I  reported  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  post, 
Colonel  T.  T.  Fauntleroy,  and  he  excused  us  four  dragoons 
from  all  duty  except  the  care  of  ourselves  and  horses  until 
the  arrival  of  the  troops.  We  took  possession  of  our  quar- 
ters and  stables,  and  when  the  troop  arrived  ten  days  later 
we  had  everything  in  good  order.  Sergeant  Hooper  was 
now  first  sergeant.  This  was  a  change  extremely  gratify- 
ing to  me.     He  was   serving  in  his  tenth  year — a  level 


74  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

headed,  sober,  honest,  active  man,  of  good  judgment  and 
even  temper.    I  looked  forward  hopefully. 

Private  Wiggins  was  drowned  in  Grasshopper  Creek 
(now  Delaware  River)  on  the  way  out.  After  everything 
else  was  over,  the  horses  and  mules  had  to  swim.  They 
were  driven  into  the  river,  Sergeant  Cook  and  Private  Wig- 
gins bringing  up  the  rear,  mounted.  Both  were  washed 
from  their  horses.  Wiggins  struck  out  to  swim  to  shore, 
which  he  would  have  done,  but  his  horse  struck  him  with 
his  feet,  knocked  him  under  and  he  was  never  seen  again. 
Cook  caught  his  horse's  tail  and  was  pulled  ashore.  Wig- 
gins was  an  excellent  soldier,  a  man  of  good  habits,  and 
well  liked.  No  other  casualties  or  serious  accidents.  The 
forced  march,  out  had  pulled  the  horses  down  some,  but 
they  were  in  fair  condition.  At  stable  call  the  Major  in- 
spected the  horses  of  my  detachment  critically  and  found 
them  almost  as  fleshy  as  when  we  started  out — not  a  sore 
spot  on  them.  As  the  Major  expressed  it,  "No  one  would 
think  they  had  been  on  a  long  march."  We  had  traveled 
over  one  thousand  three  hundred  miles;  my  horse  had 
traveled  eight  miles  a  day  for  thirty  days  from  the  camp 
at  Laramie  to  the  fort  and  back,  two  hundred  and  forty 
miles,  besides  my  trip  to  the  Sioux  camp  after  the  mules, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  making  in  all  more  than 
one  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty  miles.  The  troop  un- 
der Major  Chilton  had  traveled  eight  hundred  miles  and 
the  horses  looked  well,  with  few  sore  backs.  Two  or  threo 
horses  were  changed  by  the  quartermaster,  some  shoeing 
done,  a  little  replenishing  of  clothing,  and  in  a  week  we 
were  ready  for  the  nelcT  again.    For  my  twenty  animals 


76  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

six  sacks  (384  quarts)  of  corn  were  taken.  One  quart  each 
night  and  morning  (forty  quarts  per  day)  fed  until  all 
was  gone,  and  from  that  time  to  the  end  of  the  trip  grass 
only.  Being  used  to  corn,  this  two  quarts  per  day  kept 
them  up  until  they  became  used  to  the  grass  and  until 
the  early  grass  gained  substance.  Major  Chilton's  com- 
mand took  extra  transportation  to  haul  half  rations — five 
pounds  of  corn  for  each  animal  per  day  to  Council  Grove ; 
one-fourth  rations  from  there  to  Adkinson  and  back. 

We  were  to  escort  the  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs, 
Colonel  D.  D.  Mitchel,  who  arrived  at  Fort  Leavenworth  by 
steamboat  with  Colonel  George  Knapp,  of  the  Missouri  Re- 
publican, and  Mr.  B.  Gratz  Brown,  correspondent  of  the 
Republican,  and  late  Governor  of  Missouri,  who  was  to  and 
who  did  write  up  the  campaign,  the  treaty,  etc. ;  in  short,  a 
full  and  well  written  account  from  start  to  finish,  and  if 
published  to-day  would  be  read  with  great  interest  through- 
out the  world.  Colonel  Cooper,  Adjutant  General  of  the 
Army,  was  a  guest  of  Major  Chilton  during  the  whole  cam- 
paign to  Laramie  and  back.  The  Major  had  my  four  horses 
brought  up  for  Colonel  Cooper's  inspection,  and  explained 
to  him  the  service  they  had  performed,  and  the  Colonel 
seemed  surprised  at  their  freedom  from  sore  backs,  and  their 
fine  condition. 

I  was  questioned,  and  made  this  statement:  ffWhen 
near  Fort  Kearney,  on  the  way  out,  a  Calif ornian  en  route 
to  'the  States'  camped  near  us  and  he  showed  me  how  he 
kept  a  sound  back  on  his  horse.  In  the  first  place,  he  had 
the  California  saddle-tree2  old  Spanish  style,  high  and  wide. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


77 


at  the  withers,  and  otherwise  fitting  the  back.  He  used  a 
gunnysack — the  coarse  kind,  made  of  loose  soft  fiber — the 
old  -  fashioned  corn 
sack,  clean  and  put 
on  next  to  the  back, 
and  a  common  blank- 
et between  it  and  the 
saddle.  The  claim 
was  that  the  gunny- 
sack absorbed  the 
moisture  without 
scalding,  as  would 
the  blanket  if  worn 
next  to  the  back. 
We  tried  this  with 
great  success,  always 
taking  care  to  have 
a  clean  sack,  that  is,  wash 
grit  or  sand  out  of  it." 


Cheyenne. 


the  sack  occasionally  and  keep  the 
After  that  the  gunnysack  was 
worn  by  every  horse  in  the  troop.  Although  oar  "Grimsley" 
saddle  could  not  compare  with  the  California  tree,  the  sack 
was  a  wonderful  help. 

As  I  cannot  have  access  to  the  records  which  would  en- 
able me  to  give  dates,  I  am  compelled  to  state  the  events  as 
they  occurred  throughout  the  season,  one  event  following 
another,  regardless  of  dates.  It  was  July  when  we  returned 
from  Laramie,  and  the  troop  from  Adkinson  and  July  when 
we  left  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  August  when  we  arrived  at 
Fort  Laramie.  I  had  been  consulted  a  good  deal  about 
camping  places  because  of  my  recent  trip  over  the  road,  and 


78  FIYE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

now  when  asked  by  the  Major  I  recommended  "Camp  Mack- 
lin,"  and  there  we  camped.  The  Indians  were  gathering  in 
great  numbers.  The  plain  between  our  camp  and  Laramie 
was  filled  with  Indian  lodges,  mostly  Sioux,  but  there  was  a 
large  camp  of  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes.  Here  and  there 
were  interpreters,  squaw  men  (men  married  to  squaws  and 
living  with  or  near  the  tribe  for  the  purpose  of  trading). 
Now,  this  was  an  effort  on  the  oart  of  the  Government  to 
get  all  the  tribes  together  and  have  them  to  make  peace 
with  each  other,  swear  fealty  to  the  Great  Father,  and  gen- 
erally to  fix  up  matters  so  that  there  should  be  no  friction 
between  tribes,  nor  between  the  various  tribes  and  the 
Government.  Runners  had  for  months  been  circulating 
throughout  the  Indian  country,  from  the  Missouri  River 
to  Fort  Bridger  and  from  Canada  to  the  Arkansas.  This 
was  in  the  heart  of  the  Sioux,  Cheyenne  and  Arapahoe 
country.  Thousands  came,  even  from  the  far  northwest, 
from  the  upper  Mississippi,  from  headwaters  of  the 
Missouri  and  the  Yellowstone. 

The  grand  old  Sioux  Nation  with  its  numerous 
branches  and  bands  furnished  the  greatest  number;  then 
the  handsome,  the  dignified,  the  wiry,  agile,  intelligent  and 
brave  Cheyennes  in  large  numbers,  and  rich  in  equipment. 
The  Arapahoes  were  interesting  but  less  numerous.  These 
three  tribes  were  friends  and  allies,  and  ruled  the  country 
from  Minnesota  to  the  Arkansas  River  and  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  a  line  drawn  north  and  south  some  forty  miles 
west  of  Fort  Kearney  at  their  own  sweet  will.  They  did 
not  want  peace  with  other  tribes.  Why  should  they  ?  Their 
pastures  were  well  stocked  with  game,  the  supply  of  buflalo 
was  unlimited,  the  way  they  hunted  inexhaustible.     They 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  79 

were  rich  in  everything  that  people  of  nomadic  habits  need- 
ed, and  as  to-peace,  why,  what  would  life  be  to  them  without 
war?  Nature  supplied  all  their  needs.  They  did  not  hunt 
for  the  sake  of  wantonly  destroying  the  lives  of  animals  as 
did  the  white  man,  and  how  could  they  amuse  themselves? 
Of  what  use  to  live  ?  And  how  could  they  hope  to  raise 
young  men  without  war  ?  And  of  what  use  were  men  if  not 
warriors  ?  But  the  Indian  Department  had  become  a  great 
branch  of  the  political  machine,  large  amounts  of  money 
were  appropriated,  growing  larger  annually,  and  it  must  be 
spent.  There  were  many  beneficiaries  interested — manu- 
facturers of  Indian  goods,  merchants,  freighters,  officials 
and  hangers-on  in  large  numbers.  Whether  it  led  to  trag- 
edy or  ended  in  a  farce,  here  was  a  well  laid  plan  for  the 
largest  assemblage  of  Indians  ever  gathered  at  one  council 
or  on  one  treaty  ground.  The  Pawnees  and  some  'others 
were  invited  but  none  of  them  came,  presumably  because 
they  were  afraid  to  risk  it.  But  the  Snakes  came.  Their 
headquarters  was  about  Fort  Bridger.  The  Sioux  and 
Cheyennes  had  promised  to  make  peace  with  them,  and  to 
take  no  advantage  of  them  while  the  treaty  was  going  on. 
About  noon  one  bright  day,  a  long  line  of  dust  was 
seen  from  our  camp,  looking  west,  towards  Laramie  Peak. 
Soon  a  long  line  of  Indians  came  moving  slowly  down 
in  battle  array,  arms  ready  for  use  and  every  man  ap- 
parently expectant,  the  women  and  children  and  baggage 
bringing  up  the  rear  well  guarded.  It  turned  out  that 
Major  Bridger,  the  interpreter,  had  reported  to  head- 
quarters the  approach  of  the  Snakes,  and  he  had  been 

directed  to  lead  them  down  near  to  our  camp.    All  the 
6— 


80  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

head  men  of  the  Sioux  and  Cheyennes  had  given  as- 
surance that  they  should  not  be  molested,  so  down  the} 
came,  moving  very  slowly  and  cautiously,  the  chief  alone 
a  short  distance  in  advance.  They  were  dressed  in 
their  best,  riding  fine  war  horses,  and  made  a  grandly 
savage  appearance.  In  the  absence  of  Major  Chilton  down 
at  the  post,  seeing  all  this  caution  on  the  part  of  the  Snakes, 
Lieutenant  Hastings  had  "boots  and  saddles"  sounded  so  as 
to  be  ready  whatever  happened.  Just  below  us  was  a  large 
Sioux  camp,  and  the  people  were  showing  great  interest  and 
some  excitement  at  the  anproach  of  their  hereditary  ene- 
mies, and  a  few  squaws  howled  in  anguish  for  lost  friends 
who  had  died  in  battle  with  these  same  cautiously  moving 
warriors.  When  the  Snakes  reached  the  brow  of  the  hill 
overlooking  the  beautiful  Laramie,  less  than  a  mile  away, 
and  the  chief  commenced  the  descent,  a  Sioux  sprang  upon 
his  horse,  bow  and  arrows  in  hand,  and  rushed  towards 
him.  A  Frenchman,  an  interpreter,  had  been  watching 
this  Sioux,  expecting  trouble,  and  he,  too,  mounted  his 
horse  and  was  instantlv  in  pursuit.  The  Snake  column 
stopped  and  sent  up  a  wild  shout  of  defiance,  the  chief 
moved  a  few  steps  farther  and  raised  his  gun  ready  to 
fire  just  as  the  intrepid  Frenchman  reached  the  reckless 
Sioux,  pulled  him  from  his  horse,  disarmed  and  stood 
over  him.  Then  ensued  a  harangue  between  interpre- 
ters and  chiefs.  The  wild  Sioux,  who  sought  to  revenge 
himself  on  the  Snake  chief  who  had  killed  his  father 
some  time  before,  was  led  back  to  camp  while  the 
Snakes  held  their  ground.     Their  position  was  a  good 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  gl 

one;  every  man  had  a  good  gun,  plenty  of  ammunition, 
besides  bows  and  arrows.  Not  one  out  of  a  hundred  Sioux 
had  guns,  and  the  Snakes,  though  not  one  to  five  of  the 
Sioux,  would  have  defended  themselves  successfully,  and 
the  battle  would  have  been  the  most  bloody  ever  known 
amongst  the  wild  tribes.  They  had  come  prepared  for 
treachery,  and  with  their  splendid  equipments  felt  full  con- 
fidence in  their  ability  to  cope  with  any  band  upon  the 
plains.  Having  quickly  mounted  the  troop,  Hastings  took 
a  position  where  he  could  overlook  the  actions  of  the  tribe. 

Here  I  met  Bridger  the  first  time.  He  spoke  on  behalf 
of  the  Snakes,  and  told  Lieutenant  Hastings  what  he  al- 
ready knew,  that  the  Snakes  had  been  assigned  a  posi- 
tion near  his  troop  and  asked  where  they  could  camp 
without  interfering  with  the  dragoons.  Hastings  told  him 
that  I  knew  the  ground  all  about  there,  and  turning  to  me 
said :  "Corporal  Lowe  show  Captain  Bridger  the  limits  of 
our  camp  and  give  him  all  the  assistance  you  can."  That 
order  was  license  for  me  to  stay  on  Bridgets  staff  until  a 
camp  was  made.  Then  and  there  Lowe  became  a  Snake, 
and  the  other  tribes  were  not  in  it. 

I  galloped  ofi'  with  the  great  mountaineer,  whose  fort  I 
had  seen  dotted  on  my  atlas  at  school  a  few  years  before,  I 
showed  him  the  finest  camp  imaginable,  and  he  was  pleased. 
I  asked  him  if  he  had  any  objections  to  my  staying  with  him 
until  the  camp  was  formed.  "No,  young  man,  these  are  the 
finest  Indians  on  earth ;  stay  with  me  and  I  '11  show  'um  to 
you."  Soon  the  column  was  in  motion,  and  they  went  into 
camp  in  their  own  peculiar  way.  Every  prominent  point 
was  dotted  by  a  sentinel,  quietly  wrapped  in  his  blanket, 


82  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

gun  ready  for  use.  Bridger  said:  "Well,  you  seen  that 
fool  Sioux  make  the  run,  didn't  you?"     "Yes  sir."  "Well, 

,"  referring  to  the  brave  interpreter,  whom  he  knew 

well,  "saved  that  fellow  from  hell ;  my  chief  would  'er  killed 
him  quick,  and  then  the  fool  Sioux  would  'er  got  their  backs 
up,  and  there  wouldn  't  have  been  room  to  camp  'round  here 
for  dead  Sioux.  You  dragoons  acted  nice,  but  you  wouldn  't 
have  had  no  show  if  the  fight  had  commenced — no  making 
peace  then.  And  I  tell  you  another  thing :  the  Sioux  ain't 
goin'  to  try  it  again.  They  see  how  the  Snakes  are  armed. 
I  got  them  guns  for  'urn,  and  they  are  good  ones.  It  '11  be  a 
proud  day  for  the  Snakes  if  any  of  these  prairie  tribes  pitch 
into  'um,  and  they  are  not  a  bit  afraid.  Uncle  Sam  told  'urn 
to  come  down  here  and  they  'd  be  safe,  but  they  ain't  takin' 
his  word  for  it  altogether.  They'll  never  be  caught  nap- 
ping, and  they  're  prepared  to  travel  anywhere.  Awful  brave 
fellows,  these  Snakes;  got  the  nerve;  honest,  too;  can  take 
their  word  for  anything;  trust  'em  anywhere;  they  live  all 
about  me,  and  I  know  all  of  them." 

I  returned  to  the  dragoon  camp,  in  a  couple  of  hours 
just  as  Major  Chilton,  with  the  Indian  commissioner,  Colo- 
nel Mitchel,  and  some  others  came  in,  and  I  was  sent  back 
with  Colonel  Mitchel's  compliments  to  request  Captain 
Bridger,  as  he  was  then  called,  to  come  over.  I  delivered 
the  message,  and  returned  with  Bridger,  who  spent  some 
hours  with  the  Commissioner's  party.  Somehow,  I  had  con- 
ceived a  great  liking  for  and  felt  great  confidence  in  Brid- 
ger. The  acquaintance  had  been  short,  but  he  impressed 
me  as  a  master  in  his  line,  and  when  I  related  to  Sergeant 
Hooper  and  others  what  he  had  said  to  me,  all  seemed  tp 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


83 


partake  of  the  same  feeling,  and  whatever  anxiety  was  stir- 
red up  by  the  incidents  of  the  day  quieted  down.  While 
conceding  his  courage,  no  one  admired  the  judgment  nor 
the  treachery 
of  the  Sioux, 
who  fully  ex- 
pected  to 
arouse  his 
tribe  to  bat- 
tle, and  but 
for  the  brave 
interpreter  he 
might  have 
done  so, 
though  sure 
death  awaited 
him.  The  at- 
titude of  the 

Snakes,  the  cool,  deliberate  action  of  the  chief,  the 
staunch  firmness  of  his  warriors  and  the  quiet  demeanor 
of  women  and  children,  who  were  perfectly  self-possessed — 
not  a  single  outcry  from  that  vast  parade  save  the  one  cry 
of  defiance  that  went  up  spontaneously  as  the  chief  raised 
his  gun  to  take  aim  at  the  Sioux.  The  scene  was  impres- 
sive, as  snowing  the  faith  that  band  of  warriors  had  in  each 
other;  the  entire  confidence  of  their  families  in  them;  the 
self-reliance  all  through.  It  was  a  lesson  for  soldiers  who 
might  never  again  see  such  a  grand  display  of  soldierly 
manhood,  and  the  lesson  was  not  lost.  Every  dragoon  felt 
an  interest  in  that  tribe. 


Pueblo. 


g4  FiVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOOtf. 

Major  Chilton  told  me  to  report  to  Captain  Khett, 
which  I  did,  and  he  very  cordially  thanked  me,  and  through 
me  my  comrades,  for  kindness  to  his  family  while  en  route 
to  Fort  Leavenworth.  He  impressed  me  very  much — was 
a  good  officer  and  a  perfect  gentleman.  He  could  show 
kindness  to  an  enlisted  man  without  the  risk  of  invoking 
undue  familiarity. 

Colonel  Mitchel  and  his  party  left  for  the  fort  before 
sunset  As  our  camp  was  rearranged,  we  were  between  the 
Snakes  and  the  other  tribes,  and  half  of  the  troop  on  guard. 
Every  half  hour  was  called  thus :  "Number  one,  —  o'clock ! 
All 's  well  I"  Morning  dawned  on  peace  and  quiet.  There 
had  been  some  anxiety  for  fear  the  Sioux  would  make  a 
general  break.  Bridger  told  me  some  time  afterward  that  if 
they  had  they  would  have  found  every  Snake  ready.  In 
about  a  week  after  the  incidents  above  related  we  moved 
thirty-four  miles  east  of  Laramie  to  where  Horse  Creek 
flows  into  the  North  Platte.  It  was  a  better  camping  ground 
for  this  great  mass  of  Indians  because  of  more  room,  grass 
and  water.  Horse  Creek  came  in  from  the  southwest,  and 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Platte  was  another  creek  coming 
in  from  the  northwest,  so  that  the  camps  could  spread  out. 

Being  in  command,  the  Major  placed  his  own  troop 
and  Captain  Ketchum's  company  below  the  mouth  of  Horse 
Creek.  This  remained  headquarters.  Two  troops  of  mount- 
ed rifles,  now  Third  Cavalry,  were  a  short  distance  above. 
One  troop  remained  to  garrison  Fort  Laramie.  The  Snakes 
followed  us  on  the  march  down,  and  camped  near  us.  One 
thing  was  plain:  if  there  was  any  trouble  between  troops 
and  Indians,  it  would  not  be  between  troops  and  Snakes, 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  §5 

and  the  Snakes  in  numbers  and  efficiency  were  largely  in 
excess  of  all  the  troops,  so  that  in  case  of  trouble  they  were 
our  best  dependence.     Strategically  the  arrangement  was 
excellent.     The  mounted  ritles  averaged  about  sixty  men 
to  each  troop,  "B"  Troop  about  seventy-five  and  "G"  Com- 
pany,   Sixth    Infantry,    about    seventy-five — 270    soldiers. 
Considering  that  there  were  within  fifteen  miles  of  our 
headquarters  more  than  60,000  Indians,  of  whom  prob- 
ably 10,000  were  fighting  men,  ours  seemed  a  slim  array 
of  troops.     In  fact,  if  there  was  any  disposition  on  the 
part  of  the  Sioux,  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes  to  destroy 
us  they  could  have  done  so  in  an  hour  if  given  a  chance 
to  camp  around  us.     But  this  was  not  done.     Our  camp 
was  formed  with  great  care.     The  Sioux,  Cheyennes  and 
Arapahoes  w^re  allowed  to  camp  anywhere  on  the  south 
side   of  the   Platte   not   occupied  by   troops   above   the 
mouth  of  Horse  Creek  and  anywhere  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Platte  or  on  streams  coming  in  from  the  north. 
Horse  Creek  and  the  south  side  of  the  Platte  below  it 
was  reserved  for  troops,  transportation,  parade  and  treaty 
grounds,   Snake  Indians  and   such   other  visiting  tribes 
as  might  come  in.     Lines  of  sentinels  were  placed,  in- 
side of  which  no  one  might  come  without  permission. 

Major  Chilton  was  a  man  well  fitted  for  a  command 
of  this  kind.  He  was  bold,  unyielding,  self-reliant,  quick 
to  comprehend  an  emergency,  and  so  vigilant  that  he 
could  not  be  surprised.  No  people  on  earth  will  discover 
a  commander's  weakness  quicker  than  Indians;  to  hes- 
itate or  to  show  fear  of  results  in  their  presence  is  fatal. 
On  the  other  hand  a  bold  front,  to  keep  them  at  a  dis- 


gg  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAQOON. 

tance,  treating  them  well  as  long  as  they  behave  them- 
selves, and  drawing  the  line  at  the  slightest  encroach- 
ment— to  locate  them  and  say:  "Thus  far  shalt  thou 
come,  and  no  farther,"  is  the  only  policy  practicable.  It 
will  apply  in  many  places  in  dealing  with  men  other 
than  Indians.  Of  course  Major  Chilton  had  experienced 
advisors  in  abundance  if  he  chose  to  ask  advice.  Col- 
onel Mitchel,  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  had 
spent  many  years  with  the  Sioux  of  the  Upper  Missouri. 
Then  there  was  Bridger  and  Fitzpatrick  with  their  great 
experience,  and  always  reliable  and  any  number  of  long- 
haired mountaineers — a  large  percentage  of  them  worth- 
less characters — but  many  traders,  trappers  and  guides 
of  good,  well  earned  reputations.  Captain  Ketchum, 
commanding  Company  G,  Sixth  Infantry,  had  been  sta- 
tioned several  years  at  Laramie,  and  few  men  knew  the 
Indians  and  the  country  better  than  he. 

This  camp,  and  incidents  connected  with  the  treaty 
was  well  written  up  at  the  time  by  Mr.  B.  Gratz  Brown, 
heretofore  referred  to,  and  published  in  the  Missouri 
Republican.  So  far  as  I  know,  no  other  paper  had  a 
correspondent  on  the  ground.  To-day  such  an  event 
would  draw  reporters  from  most  all  of  the  leading  pa- 
pers in  the  country,  including  the  illustrated  papers; 
the  whole  camp,  including  daily  incidents,  war  dances, 
squaw  dances,  sham  battles,  etc.,  portraits  of  the  prin- 
cipal chiefs  and  the  officials  would  be  seen  in  these  great 
periodicals,  and  all  the  reading  public  would  be  familiar 
with  it. 

We  remained  a  month  in  this  camp,  awaiting  the 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  g? 

arrival  of  the  ox  train  that  brought  the  presents  from 
the  Missouri,  they  having  been  first  brought  from  St. 
Louis  by  steamboat  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  During  the 
time  we  were  waiting  the  Commissioner  was  having  made 
a  list  of  all  the  head  men  and  the  number  of  each  band, 
and  ranking  them  according  to  their  power  and  influ- 
ence, judging  by  the  number  of  followers;  then  taking 
an  invoice  of  the  goods  to  be  distributed  parceling  them 
off  to  each  band,  turning  them  over  to  the  chief  or  sub- 
chief  for  distribution. 

This  listing  of  the  bands  was  an  immense  job,  and 
the  distribution  must  be  made  with  as  little  partiality 
as  possible.  The  chiefs  having  been  given  rank  accord- 
ing to  influence  and  following,  they  all  sat  in  an  im- 
mense circle,  smoking  with  great  dignity  and  passing  the 
pipe,  meanwhile  some  orator  entertaining  them  with  a 
bombastic  account  of  some  of  his  or  his  tribe's  adven- 
tures. This  part  of  the  entertainment  was  equal  to  a 
political  convention  waiting  for  the  committee  on  reso- 
lutions to  report.  Amidst  the  grunts  of  approval  as  the 
oratory  wen+  on  a  chief  was  called  in  to  headquarters 
and  soon  returned  decked  off  in  full  major-general's 
uniform  from  head  to  foot.  There  the  line  was  drawn 
by  the  Indian;  he  still  wears  his  moccasins — he  could 
not  walk  in  boots — wearing  a  saber,  medal  with  the  head 
of  the  President  on  one  side  and  clasped  hands  on  the 
other,  he  carries  a  document  with  an  immense  seal  and 
ribbon  thereon — enclosed  in  a  large  envelope,  that  he 
may  show  all  comers  what  the  Great  Father  thinks  of 
him — what  rank  and  power  he  wields  among  his  fellow- 


88  &1VE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

men.  This  and  his  medal  he  values  more  than  all  else. 
They  give  him  the  entree  to  the  camp  of  the  emigrant, 
who  must,  perforce,  have  confidence  in  and  feed  him 
since  he  comes  with  these  proofs  of  the  love  the  afore- 
said Great  Father  has  for  him.  Then  follows  another 
major-general  with  decorations  substantially  the  same. 
Having  exhausted  the  list  of  major-generals,  then  fol- 
lowed the  brigadiers,  then  numerous  colonels,  lieutenant 
colonels,  majors,  captains  and  lieutenants — as  Bill  An- 
derson said — "Till  yer  can't  rest/'  all  with  medals  of 
some  kind  and  all  with  a  paper — "Certificate  of  Charac- 
ter," Corporal  Ferguson  called  it.  These  papers  had 
been  prepared,  probably,  in  the  Indian  office  in  Wash- 
ington, with  a  blank  space  left  to  fill  in  the  name.  Then 
there  were  great  numbers  of  braves — a  multitude  who 
were  entitled  to  and  received  some  distinguishing  mark 
in  the  way  of  medal  or  other  decorations  or  paper. 

Several  days  were  given  to  this  "dignity  business," 
as  McDonald  called  it,  and  then  followed  the  distribu- 
tion of  goods.  In  this  the  roll  was  called  as  before,  and 
the  pile  turned  over  to  the  head  man,  who  shouted  out 
his  instructions  and  parceled  out  the  goods,  and  strange 
to  say  there  seemed  to  be  little  wrangling  or  dissatis- 
faction. In  each  case  the  goods  were  packed  on  ponies 
and  taken  to  the  camp  where  they  belonged.  The  pro- 
visions were  given  out  last  and  in  great  quantities,  and 
the  feasting  and  good  humor  was  general.  The  daily 
scenes  and  incidents  of  our  stay  there  were  of  the  great- 
est interest,  often  very  exciting;  sham  battles  were  a 
feature  daily,  and  they  showed  their  prowess  to  the  white 


MTE   YEARS  il  DRAGOON.  g§ 

men,  and  one  tribe  to  another,  with  all  the  savage  en- 
ergy of  their  bombastic  natures.  No  human  being  can 
out-brag  an  Indian,  and  they  spend  hours  in  oratory  over 
the  most  trifling  occurrences,  and  often  tell  monstrous 
lies  in  their  illustrations. 

The  presents  having  all  been  distributed,  the  feasts 
being  over,  the  long  talks  ended,  the  great  orators  hav- 
ing ventilated  themselves,  while  the  white  dignitaries 
listened  and  grunted  their  approval  with  the  dignity  be- 
coming the  representatives  of  the  Great  Father  in  Wash- 
ington, the  great  camp  began  to  disintegrate,  band  after 
band  began  to  move  out,  until  all  but  a  straggling  few, 
camp  scavengers  who  hang  around  to  pick  up  anything 
left  behind,  were  gone.  The  Sioux  moved  in  many  di- 
rections, some  for  the  far  north  and  northwest,  others 
for  various  points  for  winter  quarters.  The  Cheyennes 
seemed  to  keep  well  together  and  moved  off  up  Horse 
Creek,  the  Arapahoes  soon  following.  The  Snakes  were 
amongst  the  first  to  move,  and  though  the  head  chief 
and  a  few  others  had  talked  a  little  in  their  turn  to  the 
Indian  Commissioner,  their  story  was  soon  told.  Few 
complaints,  as  Bridger  told  me,  were  made,  and  they 
had  no  bombastic  threats  nor  false  promises  to  make. 
All  they  wanted  was  to  be  left  alone,  but  would  endeav- 
or to  care  for  themselves;  they  had  never  injured  the 
white  people  and  had  no  desire  to  do  so.  Every  Sunday 
the  Snakes  had  church  service.  They  had  a  minister 
who  had  been  with  them  twenty  years;  preached  to  them 
in  their  own  language;  several  times  I  heard  him. 
Bridger  interpreted  to  me,  and  I  could  readily  understand 


90  FtVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOOtf. 

why  every  one  of  those  people  listened  to  him  with  close 
attention.  He  taught  them  true  Christianity,  kindness, 
brotherly  love,  honesty,  and  all  the  precepts  calculated 
to  make  men  better.  No  orthodox  mysteries,  no  unnat- 
ural or  miraculous  plan  of  salvation,  nothing  that  they 
could  not  understand.  "Now,"  says  Bridger,  "I  don't 
know  nothing  about  religion  as  I  used  to  hear  it  in  the 
States;  but  me  and  the  Snakes  don't  have  no  trouble 
in  believing  what  he  says,  and  I  tell  you  he  just  leads 
the  Snakes  about  right." 

Bridger  pointed  out  to  me  one  day  a  quiet  listener, 
a  man  thirty-five  years  old,  six  feet,  about  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  pounds,  gentle  face  and  manner,  and 
told  me  that  this  was  the  most  modest  and  unassuming 
man  he  had  ever  met.  A  few  years  before,  some  Sioux 
had  run  off  a  lot  of  Snake  horses  and  taken  one  scalp. 
This  man  with  others  started  on  the  trail.  In  about  a 
week  they  all  returned  except  he,  they  having  separated. 
Another  week  and  he  was  given  up  for  dead,  and  there 
was  loud  lamentation  amongst  his  friends,  lasting  for 
days.  One  night  in  the  midst  of  the  weeping  and  wail- 
ing this  man  rode  into  camp  driving  all  the  lost  Snake 
horses  and  six  more  and  with  six  ££oux  scalps  dangling 
from  his  bridle  and  belt.  The  story  was  quickly  told. 
Having  struck  a  "hot  trail,"  he  followed  it  down  into 
the  foot  hills  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  until 
one  evening  he  saw  a  band  of  horses  and  one  lodge.  He 
.watched;  he  knew  the  Snake  horses,  and  found  that 
there  were  six  Sioux.     Evidently  these  six  had  left  the 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


91 


lodge  standing  while  they  made  the  raid  200  miles  into 
the  Snake  country.  Here  they  thought  themselves  safe. 
They  feasted  around  a  fire  in  front  of  the  lodge,  and 

howled  and  danced 
around  the  Snake 
scalp  until  midnight, 
when  all  went  into 
the  lodge  and  slept. 
Towards  morning  the 
Snake  crept  to  the 
lodge,  ripped  it  open 
with  his  scalping  knife 
and  in  the  darkness 
killed  all,  scalped 
them,  and  alone  man- 
aged the  herd  of 
horses,  averaging  sev- 
enty-five miles  a  day  until  he  reached  home. 

"Now,"  says  Bridger,  "how  many  fellows  can  you 
pick  out  of  your  troop  that  could  do  what  that  Indian 
did  and  make  no  fuss  about  it?"  I  did  not  know,  had 
not  seen  them  tried,  and  gave  it  up.  I  thought  it  an 
inspiration  to  meet  one  who  possessed  such  reckless 
nerve.  I  parted  with  Bridger  with  regret,  and  when 
he  shook  my  hand  he  said,  looking  at  me  keenly,  "Young 
man,  don't  you  stay  in  the  army  no  longer  than  your 
time  's  out,  but  come  right  up  to  Bridger.  Thar 's  more 
money  in  the  mountains  than  in  all  the  rest  of  the  world 
— gold  till  you  can't  rest,  and  I  know  where  some  of  it 
is.    Now  be  sure  to  come  to  me.    Good  bye."    I  certainly 


Arapahoe. 


92  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

thought  I  would,  and  told  him  so.  His  life  suited  my 
notion;  he  was  a  genuine  article  with  no  alloy. 

Colonel  Mitchel  and  his  party  stayed  behind  and 
came  down  with  the  mounted  rifles,  while  Colonel  Cooper 
came  down  with  B  Troop.  No  incident  worth  mention- 
ing occurred  until  coming  along  the  Little  Blue  one 
afternoon,  Major  Chilton  wearing  huntmg  clothes  and 
Colonel  Cooper  in  citizen's  dress,  riding  in  a  little  one- 
horse  spring  wagon,  belonging  to  the  Major,  the  Ma- 
jor's servant  driving.  About  a  mile  ahead  of  the  troop 
four  Pawnee  Indians  stopped  them,  highwayman  style, 
one  seizing  the  horse's  head,  the  others  demanding  that 
the  occupants  get  out  and  give  up  everything.  The  Major 
seized  his  shotgun  and  would  have  killed  two  of  them 
but  Colonel  Cooper  stopped  him.  The  Indians  did  not 
seem  inclined  to  kill,  but  to  rob.  At  the  critical  moment 
one  Indian  saw  the  troop,  and  they  all  ran. 

When  we  returned  to  Fort  Leavenworth  we  occupied 
our  old  quarters  and  stables  of  nrevious  winter.  There 
was  one  company  of  Sixth  Infantry  and  Light  Battery 
G,  Fourth  Artillery,  at  the  Post. 

A  few  days  later  a  detail  of  twenty  men  of  B  Troop 
was  ordered  to  go  to  Uniontown,  a  Pottawatomie  village, 
a  few  miles  south  of  the  Kansas  Biver  and  west  of  where 
Topeka  now  stands.  We  crosseu  at  a  rocky  ford  near 
Silver  Lake  and  went  a  few  miles  south,  distant  from 
Fort  Leavenworth  about  seventy  miles.  Lieutenant  Cu- 
vier  Grover,  of  the  Fourth  Artillery,  commanded  the 
detail.  At  Uniontown  we  were  to  guard  the  paymaster 
or  agent  and  his  money  while  distributing  cash  annuities 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  93 

to  the  Pottawatomies — so  much  per  capita  to  be  paid 
to  heads  of  families  or  to  individuals  of  age  having  no 
families.  We  were  there  ten  davs  in  glorious  Indian 
summer.  The  lists  of  persons  to  whom  money  was  to 
be  paid  were  so  complete  that  the  work  went  on  from  day 
to  day,  with  the  aid  of  interpreters,  as  smoothly  as  if  it 
were  the  paymaster  paying  off  troops.  I  liked  these  Pot- 
tawatomies; all  well  behaved  men,  women  and  children. 
All  had  good  horses,  seemed  to  be  well  clothed  and  fed, 
lived  in  comfortable  cabins,  did  considerable  farming  in 
a  small  way,  especially  in  corn  and  pumpkins.  Every 
cabin  had  great  quantities  of  yellow  strips  of  pumpkin 
hung  up  to  dry.  We  had  seen  no  vegetables  during  the 
last  six  months,  and  would  steal  them  if  given  half  a 
chance.  I  had  charge  of  the  quartermaster  and  commis- 
sary department  of  our  little  command,  and  schemed  in 
every  way  possible  to  supply  our  wants.  An  influential 
Frenchman  whose  acquaintance  I  made  on  the  way  over, 
who  had  two  Pottawatomie  wives  and  a  large  family  of 
children  —  the  more  children  the  more  money  —  intro- 
duced me  to  Joseph  LeFramboy,  fourth  chief  of  the  Na- 
tion, who  lived  near  Silver  Lake,  was  wealthy  and  had 
great  influence.  He  had  two  wives,  one  a  Pottawatomie 
and  one  a  Frenchwoman.  My  French  friend  made  known 
to  this  chief,  who  talked  good  English,  the  fact  that  we 
had  been  on  the  plains  the  whole  season  on  soldiers' 
rations  and  wild  meat,  and  the  fact  that  we  probably 
had  nothing  to  pay  with.  I  asked  LeFramboy  if  the 
hogs  we  saw  cracking  nuts  in  the  woods  were  wild.  He 
answered,  "Yes,  so  you  not  let  him  squeal  too  much." 


94  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

He  soon  brought  an  Indian  who  pointed  out  a  lot  of  half 
grown  pigs  and  said,  "Eat  plenty."  In  short,  our  camp 
was  soon  supplied  with  fresh  pig,  pumpkin,  cabbage  and 
potatoes  in  abundance.  It  was  too  late  in  the  season  for 
anything  else.  All  temptation  to  steal  was  removed,  and 
we  lived  high. 

If  the  reader  has  never  been  similarly  situated,  has 
never  lived  for  six  months  at  a  time  on  bread,  rice,  beans 
— no  other  cereals  and  no  vegetables — a  little  sugar  and 
coffee,  not  half  what  soldiers  get  nowadays,  bacon  and 
such  game  as  could  be  killed,  he  has  not  the  slightest 
conception  of  the  excellence  of  pumpkin  sauce,  with  salt 
and  pepper,  flavored  with  a  little  bacon  grease,  boiled 
cabbage,  mashed  potatoes,  baked  potatoes,  potatoes  baked 
in  the  ashes  by  the  campfire,  eaten  with  salt  or  a  thin 
slice  of  bacon  broiled  on  a  stick.  Of  all  the  army  of  to- 
day probably  not  one  ever  had  our  experience  and  never 
will  have.  I  sent  Lieutenant  Grover  his  dinner  every 
day  in  our  best  style.  He  sent  back  his  thanks  and  asked 
no  questions,  but  I  told  him  how  nicely  we  were  being 
treated.  Our  rest  at  Uniontown  was  a  great  relief  from 
the  everlasting  march,  march,  day  after  day,  until  horses 
and  men  were  weary,  oh,  so  weary.  In  going  to  Union- 
town,  our  stay  there,  and  return,  we  had  enjoyed  two 
weeks  of  absolute  peace,  and  were  sorry  when  we  had  to 
return. 

And  now  the  winter  was  before  us,  and  we  hoped  for 
rest — rest  that  every  man  and  every  horse  needed.  To 
sum  up  the  summer's  campaign:  I  had  ridden  one  horse 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  95 

twice  to  Laramie  and  back — 2,600  miles;  eight  miles  a 
day  for  thirty  days  at  Laramie,  240  miles;  to  and  from 
Sioux  camp,  120  miles;  to  and  .from  the  Pottawatomie 
payment,  140  miles;  total,  3,100  miles,  besides  consider- 
able riding  about  from  our  camp  to  the  Snakes,  etc.,  that 
the  others  did  not  do.  McDonald,  Russell  and  O'Meara 
had  ridden  360  miles  less,  making  them  2,740  miles.  All 
the  balance  of  the  troop  had  been  to  Adkinson  and  back, 
800  miles,  and  to  Laramie  and  back,  1,300  miles — 2,100; 
and  sixteen  of  them  had  been  to  the  Pottawatomie  pay- 
ment, 140  miles,  making  for  them  2,240  miles.  The 
horses  that  went  first  to  Laramie  were  exceedingly  leg 
weary,  but  looked  well  and  were  sound.  All  the  horses, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  slightly  sore  backs,  were 
sound.  All  they  needed  was  rest,  feed  and  good  care, 
and  they  got  it.  The  grooming,  leg  washing  and  rub- 
bing down  with  strips  of  gunnysack  that  they  got  was 
something  that  any  lover  of  horse  flesh  might  be  proud 
of.  The  dirt  stalls  that  they  stood  in  were  kept  level, 
each  man  held  accountable  for  the  condition  of  his  own 
stall. 

An  officer  said  to  me  when  talking  of  this  campaign, 
"Well,  you  did  not  have  any  mounted  drill  for  some  time 
after  that!"  In  a  week  we  drilled  an  hour  mounted  in 
the  forenoon  and  on  foot  in  the  afternoon,  but  we  drilled 
carefully;  went  through  the  evolutions,  saber  exercises 
and  pistol  practice  at  a  walk;  in  a  few  weeks  a  part  of 
the  time  at  a  trot,  and  in  a  couple  of  months  all  of  the 
gaits,  never  missing  mounted  drill  every  forenoon  when 
7- 


96  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

weather  and  ground  was  suitable  on  week  days,  and,  ex- 
cept Saturday,  afternoons  on  foot,  with  inspection  mount- 
ed on  Sunday  morning.  One  hour  drill  each  time.  In 
case  of  rain  or  snow  we  drilled  on  foot  in  quarters.  Our 
horses  were  ridden  to  the  river  for  water  morning  and 
evening  before  corn  was  fed  to  them  which,  with  the 
hour's  drill,  gave  them  good  exercise.  They  always  went 
to  and  from  water  at  a  walk.  I  saw  other  mounted  troops 
go  yelping  down  the  hill  in  outrageous  disorder,  running 
races  up  the  hill  after  watering.  B  Troop  was  as  orderly 
and  well  behaved  going  to  and  from  water  as  if  on  parade ; 
talk  was  free  but  no  noise.  I  can  say  the  same  for  Cap- 
tain Hunt's  Light  Battery  G,  Fourth  Artillery.  We  used 
the  watering  bridle  bit  (snaffle),  surcingle  and  blanket, 
but  no  saddle,  going  to  and  from  water. 

And  now  we  were  settled  down  in  comfortable  quar- 
ters for  those  times.  A  bed  sack,  refilled  with  prairie  hay 
(Arnold  called  it  prairie  feathers)  once  a  month,  and  a 
pair  of  soldier  blankets,  with  overcoat,  or  anything  else 
one  could  utilize  for  a  pillow.  If  the  Government  allow- 
ance of  wood  was  not  sufficient,  we  took  a  company  team, 
made  a  detail,  and  hauled  more  from  above  the  post.  In- 
defatigable commissary  and  quartermaster  Sergeant  Cook 
managed  our  rations  and  forage  so  that  men  and  horses 
fared  well.  We  got  vegetables  and  apples  from  Missouri. 
Nothing  of  the  kind  was  then  furnished  by  the  commis- 
sary. Cook  got  some  barrels  and  had  them  sawed  in  two 
for  bath  tubs,  which  we  could  use  in  the  dining  room  be- 
tween supper  and  tattoo.     The  troop  moved  about  so 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  97 

much  that  there  was  little  company  fund,  and  from  our 
small  pay  we  "chipped  in"  for  nearly  all  the  extras. 

A  Thespian  Society  was  formed,  and  our  troop  fur- 
nished the  lion's  share  of  actors,  among  them  Jim  Gien- 
non,  Warren  Kimball,  Forrest,  etc.  Officers  and  their 
families  had  as  much  fun  out  of  it  as  did  the  men,  and 
the  performances  did  a  great  deal  of  good.  Our  troop 
raised  money  for  a  hall,  and  I  was  treasurer.  We  wanted 
things  that  must  be  gotten  from  Weston,  and  I  made  the 
purchases.  Mr.  Ben  Bishop,  who  was  first  sergeant  of 
"B"  Troop  before  I  joined,  was  now  in  the  cattle  busi- 
ness, doing  well  and  living  in  Weston,  gave  me  much  as- 
sistance and  took  me  to  the  "Weston  Club"  for  dinner, 
where  I  was  introduced  to  a  lot  of  gentlemen  who  would 
be  a  credit  to  any  town  of  10,000  people,  whose  friend- 
ship I  retained.  Most  of  them  are  now  dead — Dick  Mur- 
phy, Joe  Murphy,  Perry  Wallingford,  Merrit  L.  Young, 
George  Belt,  Charles  A.  Perry,  etc.  Weston  was  a  won- 
derful business  place — fine  stores  and  heavy  stocks  of 
goods.  It  was  at  that  time  the  best  business  town  be- 
tween St.  Joseph  and  St.  Louis  except  Lexington. 

Our  ball  came  off,  and  was  a  great  success  from  the 
soldier's  standpoint,  and  did  a  great  deal  of  good.  The 
men  were  on  their  good  behavior — their  pride  was  ap- 
pealed to,  and  even  the  roughest  seemed  to  rise  a  little 
higher  and  to  think  better  of  themselves. 


PART   III. 

IN  THE  winter  of  1852  Major  Chilton  went  on  a  six 
months'  leave,  which  left  Lieutenant  Hastings  in 
command  of  the  troop.  Sergeant  Hooper  went  on  a  two 
months'  furlough,  to  the  end  of  his  time.  Every  good 
man  in  the  troop  felt  his  absence  a  personal  loss.  It 
wound  up  his  ten  years'  honorable  service,  and  he  would 
never  return.  It  was  time  for  him  to  make  a  home  for 
himself  and  family,  which,  with  land  warrants  and  some 
money  that  he  and  his  industrious  wife  had  saved,  he 
did  in  Iowa,  and  became  a  prosperous  and  prominent 
man.  Sergeant  John  Cuddy  was  made  acting  first  ser- 
geant until  Hooper's  time  should  be  out,  and  three- 
fourths  of  the  troop  hoped  he  would  keep  the  place.  He 
was  born  in  Ireland,  was  well  educated,  bright,  clear 
headed,  and  a  good  judge  of  men,  six  feet  tall,  hand- 
some, and  a  perfect  picture  of  manhood,  witty,  cheerful 
and  self-reliant.  I  never  saw  a  better  specimen  for  a 
first  sergeant.  He  was  just  what  our  troop  needed.  I 
knew  that  good  order  would  reign  under  Cuddy;  but 
there  was  an  element  that  did  not  want  such  a  man,  and 
a  few  of  them  would  do  anything  to  destroy  him.  After 
he  had  been  acting  first  sergeant  a  couple  of  weeks,  he 
was  visiting  a  friend  across  the  parade  ground,  out  of  quar- 
ters in  the  night  without  permission.     Some  miscreants 

i98 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  99 

managed  to  get  fire  into  his  orderly  room,  and  the  gar- 
rison was  aroused  at  midnight  by  the  alarm  of  fire. 
When  Sergeant  Cook  and  I  reached  the  door  and  broke 
it  down,  the  room  was  in  flames.  The  fire  was  soon 
quenched,  but  Cuddy's  enemies  had  gotten  their  work 
in;  this  was  sure  to  prevent  his  promotion.  He  was 
placed  in  arrest  and  Sergeant  Drummond  took  his  place. 
Cuddy  was  released  in  a  couple  of  weeks  and  returned 
to  duty,  but  Colonel  Fauntleroy  would  not  consent  to 
promote  him. 

In  April,  1852,  Major  Macklin,  the  paymaster  for 
Kearney  and  Laramie,  called  for  an  escort  and  Sergeant 
Cuddy  and  ten  privates  were  detailed.  Cuddy  was  glad 
to  get  away  with  his  little  command,  and  did  not  object 
to  some  of  the  toughest  cases  detailed  to  go  with  him, 
to  get  them  away  from  the  troop.  The  man  who  was 
the  instigator  of  the  fire  in  the  orderly  room  deserted, 
and  with  his  wife  located  in  Weston.  More  of  him 
hereafter. 

There  was  a  custom  at  Fort  Leavenworth  to  detail  a 
non-commissioned  officer  each  month  who  was  called 
"provost  sergeant,"  and  whose  duty  it  was  to  work  the 
prisoners  in  policing  the  garrison,  cleaning  up  generally, 
and  to  do  anything  that  there  was  no  hired  employees 
to  do.  If  there  was  a  death  the  provost  sergeant  had 
the  grave  dug.  My  turn  came  and  I  served  during  April. 
It  was  an  odd  coincidence,  to  say  the  least,  that  three 
men  died  of  delirium  tremens  during  that  month,  two 
of  Light  Battery  "Q"  Fourth  Artillery  and  one  of  the 


100         s  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

band.  I  remember  the  names  of  these  men  and  can 
see  how  they  looked  as  well  as  if  it  happened  yesterday. 
These  were  the  only  men  I  ever  saw  after  death  from  de- 
lirium tremens,  and  the  only  deaths  at  the  post  during 
the  month.  I  had  two  prisoners  digging  a  grave  in  the 
soldiers'  cemetery  where  now  stands  the  commanding 
officer's  quarters.  They  had  gotten  down  half  deep 
enough  when  one  of  them,  an  infantryman,  leaned  on 
his  spade,  turned  to  me  with  a  sorrowful  expression, 
and  in  a  sad  tone  said:  "Arah,  Corpler,  aren't  it  lucky 
I  am?"  I  could  not  see  his  good  luck,  it  was  not  appar- 
ent on  the  surface,  and  so  I  said,  "How  is  that,  Mike, 
have  you  struck  a  gold  mine?"  My  question  brought 
no  smile.  Poor  Mike  shook  his  head;  leaned  harder  on 
his  spade,  and  said:  "If  I  hadn't  got  in  the  geard  house 
I  might  'ev  shared  the  fate  of  poor  Tom,  and  yez  wVd 
'ev  had  somebody  digging  me  grave  as  I  am  his."  I 
said  I  hoped  that  such  a  misfortune  would  never  befall 
any  of  us.  Straightening  himself  to  his  full  height, 
looking  at  me  earnestly,  he  said:  "No  danger  of  yez, 
Corpler,  but  look  at  poor  Mike."  I  suggested  that  this 
was  a  good  time  to  swear  off.  He  sighed  and  went  on 
with  his  work.  I  pitied  him  with  all  my  heart.  The 
only  enemy  he  had  was  whisky,  and  he  needed  a  guar- 
dianship that  would  keep  him  from  it,  or  keep  it 
from  him. 

Several  men  deserted  the  first  pay  day  after  coming 
in  from  the  summer's  campaign  of  1851.  In  March,  four 
of  the  best  men  in  the  troop  deserted,  and  as  they  had 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  101 

been  my  Mends  from  first  to  last,  I  felt  the  loss  keenly. 
They  made  a  big  gap  in  the  efficiency  of  the  troop.  A 
batch  of  recruits  from  Carlisle  joined  about  this  time, 
and  special  attention  was  given  to  drilling  them  pre- 
paratory to  the  summer's  campaign  sure  to  follow.  They 
had  spent  the  winter  at  Carlisle  and  were  pretty  well 
drilled.     They  came  up  on  a  steamboat. 

On  the  20th  of  June  I  was  made  sergeant;  on  the 
23d,  first  sergeant.  After  the  order  making  me  first 
sergeant  was  read  and  the  troops  dismissed,  as  I  was 
passing  a  group  of  men  on  the  way  to  the  steps  lead- 
ing up  to  the  squad  room  I  heard  one  man  say:  "Well, 
we  may  as  well  desert  now."  The  man  was  slightly  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor  and  evidently  intended  that 
I  should  hear  the  remark.  I  walked  over  to  where  they 
were  standing,  and  said:  "See  here;  I  don't  care  what 
anyone  says  of  me  so  that  I  do  not  know  that  the  words 
are  intended  for  me  to  hear.  In  his  case  you  said  what 
you  did  purposely  for  me  to  hear.  Now,  it  lies  entirely 
with  you  whether  or  not  you  may  as  well  desert.  If  you 
intend  to  be  a  decent,  respectable  soldier,  there  is  no  oc- 
casion for  you  to  desert.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you 
want  to  make  things  disagreeable  generally,  and  for  me 
in  particular,  the  future  for  you  is  not  bright.  Now 
take  your  choice,  for  I  tell  you  plainly  that  I  will  not 
be  harassed,  worried  and  annoyed  by  men  who  can  see 
no  good  in  anything  but  whisky,  noise,  opposition  to  good 
order  and  discipline,  and  other  things  that  make  the 
troop  and  all  connected  with  it  miserable.     I  may  not 


102  FNfi  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

succeed  in  having  everything  my  own  way,  but  I  will 
come  as  near  to  it  as  I  can,  and  the  nearer  I  come  to 
it  the*  less  cause  any  one  will  have  to  talk  as  you  have." 
The  man  was  about  to  speak,  I  do  not  think  disrespect- 
fully, when  a  man  said  quietly,  "Shut  up,"  and  two  of 
them  walked  him  off.  Though  I  spoke  in  a  low  tone, 
probably  half  the  troop  heard  what  I  said.  The  next 
day  this  man  made  an  apology  and  said  he  would  never 
give  me  any  trouble,  and  he  never  did. 

I  called  the  roll  at  "tattoo"  without  a  light,  the  first 
time  I  had  seen  it  done,  and  without  a  mistake — called 
two  absentees  the  second  time  and  reported  them  ab- 
sent. I  never  used  a  light,  nor  read  from  a  list  at  roll 
call.  A  general  good  feeling  seemed  to  develop  from 
day  to  day,  and  many  men  said  they  were  glad  it  was 
settled.  The  most  experienced  said  they  would  know 
about  what  to  expect  for  the  next  two  years,  and  there 
was  a  great  deal  in  that.  Lieutenant  Hastings  had  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  the  men  whose  opinions 
were  worth  anything,  and  that  was  a  tower  of  strength 
to  me. 

The  day  of  departure  soon  came  and  we  found  our 
way  to  the  Arkansas  via  Pappan's  Ferry  across  the  Kaw 
and  thence  through  Council  Grove. 

Arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  Cow  Creek,  now  in  Rice 
Countv,  Kansas,  it  became  evident  that  the  Kiowas  and 
Comanches  were  as  energetic  as  usual,  annoying  trains, 
surprising  small  parties,  and  driving  off  stock.  Several 
trains  were  compelled  to  corral  and  stand  them  off  until 


FIVE  TEARS  A   DRAGOON.  103 

relieved  by  the  Dragoons.  Generally  the  Indians  did 
not  stand  much  upon  the  order  of  going  when  the  'long 
knives"  came  in  sight.  Some  inexperienced  people  have 
charged  Indians  with  possessing  less  real  courage  than 
white  men.  There  never  was  a  greater  mistake.  The 
Indians  knew  that  bows  and  arrows,  good  at  forty  yards, 
could  not  compete  with  musketoons  and  pistols  at  100 
or  200  yards,  so  they  skirmished  for  the  advantage,  and 
took  it  whenever  they  could,  as  became  the  sensible  rob- 
bers and  bandits  that  they  were. 

Arrived  on  the' Arkansas,  from  the  mouth  of  Walnut 
Creek  west  the  danger  to  trains  was  great.  Nothing 
short  of  constant,  intelligent,  determined  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  commanding  officer,  Lieutenant  Hastings, 
served  to  protect  the  trains  from  destruction  until  he 
compelled  their  owners  or  managers  to  concentrate  in 
large  caravans  and  proceed  with  the  greatest  caution  in 
double  column. 

One  morning  near  Pawnee  Eock,  now  near  the  corner 
of  Barton,  Stafford  and  Pawnee  Counties,  a  Mexican 
train  of  ten  mule  teams  pulled  out  of  camp.  The  rear 
team  was  made  up  of  seven  little  mules  and  three  burros. 
The  load  was  heavy  and  the  team  lagged.  Suddenly  a 
small  band  of  Indians  was  seen  charging  toward  this 
train.  The  train  master  did  the  usual  thing,  hurried 
into  corral  as  fast  as  possible,  and  succeeded  very  well 
except  as  to  this  last  team,  which  all  expected  to  see 
captured  and  the  man  and  his  ten-year-old  son  scalped. 
Seeing  his  desperate  situation,  the  father  hid  the  boy 


104  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

in  the  wagon  under  some  blankets,  in  hopes  that  relief 
might  come  to  his  son,  though  he  must  die.  The  Dra- 
goons had  camped  west  of  Walnut  Creek,  near  where 
Great  Bend,  the  county  seat  of  Barton  County,  now  is, 
and  had  made  an  early  start  in  order  to  halt  this  train 
until  others  should  come  up.  A  few  skirmishers  on  the 
high  ground  saw  the  situation,  gave  the  alarm  and 
charged  in  time  to  drive  off  the  robbers,  though  a 
shower  of  arrows  had  already  hit  the  wagon  and  slightly 
wounded  the  man.  One  pony  was  killed,  and  it  was 
believed  that  some  Indians  were  wounded,  though  ali 
got  away. 

This  team  was  owned  by  the  driver  and  traveled  with 
the  big  train  for  company  and  protection,  and  the  team 
being  weak  for  the  load  it  had  to  haul,  was  compelled 
to  travel  behind,  so  as  not  to  retard  the  progress  of  the 
train,  and  frequently  lagged.  Numerous  small  freighters 
were  in  the  habit  of  traveling  in  this  way. 

Probably  no  better  officer  than  Lieutenant  Hastings 
ever  commanded  a  troop.  This  was  his  second  cam- 
paign with  this  troop.  And  now  he  was  approaching 
ground  sacred  to  the  memory  of  brave  men,  and  there 
was  still  with  the  troop  a  remnant  of  those  who  fought 
desperately  at  the  mouth  of  Coon  Creek,  now  in  Pawnee 
County,  when  in  1846  twelve  men  out  of  a  detachment  of 
twenty  under  Sergeant  "Ben"  Bishop  were  wounded,  some 
of  them  fatally,  in  recovering  cattle  that  had  been  driven 
off  by  Indians.  Bishop  was  shot  through  the  body  with 
an  arrow,  but  survived  and  was  discharged  first  sergeant 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  106 

of  the  troop  in  1849.  Sergeant  Peel  and  Bugler  Brydon 
kept  alive  the  fires  that  burned  in  memory  of  their 
fallen  comrades,  and  the  spirit  that  pervaded  the  little 
command  boded  no  good  to  the  reckless  robbers  that 
infested  the  Santa  Fe  Trail  from  the  Little  Arkansas 
River  to  Mexico.  The  Indians  knew  the  troop,  the 
sorrel  horses,  the  blue  shirts  worn  in  the  field  in  place 
of  the  regulation  uniform,  the  drab  hats — the  horses 
and  men  seen  when  they  by  forced  marches  relieved 
Fort  Adkinson.  In  fact  they  had  not  forgotten  the  sor- 
rel troop  since  1846. 

Having  concentrated  the  trains  and  escorted  them 
via  the  so-called  Cimarron  crossing  of  the  Arkansas, 
aboujt  where  Cimarron  station  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railway 
now  is,  to  about  sixty  miles  southwest  of  that  point,  the 
troop  returned  and  went  into  camp  about  where  Dodge 
City  now  is,  and  about  four  miles  below  Fort  Adkinson. 
Here  the  whole  Kiowa  and  Comanche  tribes  seemed  to 
have  concentrated  in  one  vast  camp  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  opposite  the  Dragoon  camp. 

Sergeant  Cuddy  and  his  party  joined  from  detached 
service  a  day  or  two  later.  I  quote  from  what  he  and 
others  told  me:  When  he  returned  from  Laramie  to 
Fort  Leavenworth  in  July,  he  was,  after  a  few  days'  rest, 
ordered  to  join  his  troop.  In  the  meantime  the  "toughs" 
of  his  party  got  drunk  and  Colonel  Fauntleroy  ordered 
four  of  them  to  confinement  in  the  guard  house  until 
ready  to  start — actually  had  four  horses  led  to  the  guard 
house  for  the  prisoners  to  mount  and  ride  away.     Their 


106  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

arms  were  boxed  up  in  the  wagon.  The  men  were  mad; 
they  had  been  kept  from  liquor,  could  not  get  any  now, 
and  were  going  across  the  plains  with  no  rest  except 
what  they  got  in  the  guard  house.  A  few  miles  on  the 
road  the  mutinous  disposition  was  at  fever  heat.  Four 
good  men  rode  behind  and  two  in  front  of  them,  while 
Cuddy  rode  ahead.  They  cursed  the  men  in  the  rear 
because  they  were  not  allowed  to  fall  out  of  ranks,  and 
finally  got  so  bold  that  they  addressed  themselves  to 
Cuddy.  Then  he  ordered  a  halt,  wheeled  his  horse  so 
as  to  face  them,  loaded  two  pistols,  placed  one — army 
size — in  his  holster  with  flap  thrown  back  ready  for  use, 
the  other — navy  size  (his  private  property) — in  his  belt, 
and  addressing  them  reviewed  all  of  their  misdeeds. dur- 
ing the  time  he  had  known  them,  especially  the  trouble 
they  had  given  him  during  the  trip  and  since  returning, 
and  wound  up  by  telling  them  that  now  they  were  sober 
and  had  not  the  excuse  of  drunken  men  for  being  inso- 
lent, showing  that,  drunk  or  sober,  they  were  utterly 
bad  and  unfit  to  live,  and  then  and  there  assured  them 
that  the  first  man  who  did  or  said  anything  to  him  or 
in  his  hearing  in  the  least  disrespectful  he  would  kill 
him — he  should  die  like  a  dog;  he  knew  they  intended  to 
desert  and  would  do  so  if  permitted,  but  that  he  would 
return  them  to  the  troop  or  give  their  worthless  carcasses 
to  the  wolves.  A  desperate  man,  fearless,  outraged  and 
thoroughly  aroused,  is  dangerous,  and  these  villains  saw 
that  their  race  was  run.    He  brought  them  400  miles  in- 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  107 

to  camp  and  they  were  placed  in  the  guard  house  at  Ad- 
kinson.  He  told  me  that  these  desperadoes  had  caused 
him  the  loss  of  many  nights'  sleep  on  the  trip  to  and 
from  Laramie  and  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  the  troop. 
Cuddy  and  six  good  men  were  a  valuable  addition  to  the 
troop  at  this  time.  Cuddy  knew  that  these  scoundrels 
should  not  have  been  let  out  of  the  guard  house  to  go 
with  him,  but  fearing  that  Colonel  Fauntleroy  would 
place  a  wrong  interpretation  on  it  if  he  asked  him  not 
to  send  them,  his  pride  kept  him  silent;  he  would  not 
do  anything  that  would  reflect  upon  his  nerve;  if  noth- 
ing else  would  do  he  would  kill  them.  He  would  have 
been  amply  justified  in  doing  so.  The  Colonel  meant 
well,  but  he  had  not  been  in  Cuddy's  place,  and  could 
not  see  into  his  fine  character,  nor  could  he  imagine  the 
character  of  the  villains  he  had  to  deal  with. 

Company  D,  Sixth  U.  S.  Infantry,  was  at  Adkinson, 
Brevet  Captain  S.  B.  Buckner  commanding  (late  gov- 
ernor of  Kentucky  and  candidate  for  Vice-President  on 
the  Sound  Money  Democratic  ticket  with  General  John 
M.  Palmer). 

Guard  duty  was  extremely  arduous,  nearly  half  the 
men  being  under  arms  among  the  horses  or  on  post  day 
and  night.  This  constant  strain  told  on  the  disposition 
of  the  men  more  in  camp  than  on  active  march.  They 
became  tired  and  morose,  and  with  the  cause  of  their 
trouble  constantly  before  them,  somewhat  reckless,  and 
would  have  welcomed  almost  anything  for  a  change. 

There  was  no  active  war.     Every  day  some  of  the 


108  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

head  men  of  the  tribes  came  into  camp  to  talk  with  the 
"white  chief/5  always  expressing  regret  that  they 
could  not  "control  their  young  men."  One  day  while 
this  kind  of  farce  was  being  enacted  a  young  buck 
rushed  across  the  river  and  reported  to  the  chief,  who 
was  talking  with  Lieutenant  Hastings,  that  a  few 
miles  away  some  of  the  "bad  young  men"  were  at- 
tacking a  train.  Hastings'  information  led  him  to  be- 
lieve that  there  were  no  trains  within  150  miles  of 
him.  That  a  Government  train  and  escort  was  on 
the  way,  with  which  a  caravan  of  freighters  had  joined 
at  Council  Grove,  he  knew,  and  he  also  knew  it 
to  be  too  strong  to  tempt  the  Indians  to  attack.  The 
actions  of  the  Indians  and  the  commotion  in  their  camp 
made  him  believe  there  was  something  wrong.  When 
"boots  and  saddles"  sounded  the  interviewers  broke  for 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  their  whole  camp  seemed 
to  be  under  arms.  Their  horse  herds  were  rounded  up 
and  hundreds  of  the  horses  saddled.  Hastings  concluded 
that  all  of  their  fine  talk  for  some  days  had  been  to 
gain  his  confidence,  and  this  report  was  to  induce  him 
to  send  a  detail  to  the  relief  of  the  train  said  to  be 
besieged,  thereby  dividing  his  command,  so  that  a  sud- 
den rush  could  destroy  the  Dragoon  camp  and  probably 
wipe  out  the  detail  afterwards.  But  instead  of  dividing 
his  command,  Hastings  made  it  more  secure  by  tying  all 
horses  to  the  picket  line,  all  mules  to  the  wagons,  and 
doubling  the  line  of  sentinels  along  the  river,  thereby 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  109 

plainly  indicating  that  he  understood  their  little  ruse. 

And  now  all  grass  for  the  animals  was  cut  with 
butcher  knives.  Fortunately  the  grass  was  abundant, 
and  by  moving  a  little  up  or  down  the  river  it  could  be 
had  within  convenient  distance.  This  episode  some- 
what dampened  diplomatic  relations  between  the  wily 
warriors  and  the  "long  knife  chief,"  and  the  effect  on 
ihe  soldiers  mowing  grass  with  butcher  knives  was  any- 
thing but  pleasant.  Such  strained  relations  could  not 
last  very  long.  We  soon  got  a  scythe  from  Adkinson 
and  relieved  the  butcher  knives. 

Guard  mounting  while  on  campaign  was  always  in  the 
evening.  When  the  old  guard  was  relieved  it  was  marched 
to  the  river  below  the  camp,  and  the  musketoons  dis- 
charged down  stream.  One  fine  evening,  a  few  days 
after  the  incident  above  referred  to,  Sergeant  Cuddy 
marched  the  old  guard  off,  and  having  given  the  com- 
mand "fire"  some  of  the  men  deliberately  turned  their 
pieces  and  fired  across  the  river  into  the  Indian  camp, 
not  at  the  people,  but  hitting  the  tops  of  some  lodges. 
Having  dismissed  the  guard,  Cuddy  reported  to  Lieu- 
tenant Hastings  and  explained  the  occurrence.  The  men 
were  called  to  account  and  claimed  an  accident — a  false- 
hood, of  course,  but  might  as  well  go  at  that.  Every 
precaution  was  taken,  and  with  the  river  on  one  side 
and  a  big  ditch  running  from  it,  there  was  perfect  con- 
fidence in  the  ability  of  that  camp  to  defend  itself. 

About  nine  or  ten  o'clock,  as  the  gentle  south  breeze 


110  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

blew,  across  the  river,  the  rattling  of  lodge  poles  was 
heard — not  loud  rattling,  as  if  being  carelessly  handled, 
but  an  occasional  click,  as  if  great  care  was  being  exer- 
cised to  avoid  making  a  noise.  The  Indians  were  'surely 
taking  down  their  lodges.  The  sound  of  "tom-toms,"' 
that  made  barbarous  music  for  the  monotonous  chant 
and  dance — the  war  dance,  the  scalp  dance,  the  squaw 
dance,  and  every  other  dance  that  had  hitherto  made 
their  camp  hideous  till  the  wee  small  hours — was  not 
heard  on  this  lovely  night.  Nothing  but  the  slight  rat- 
tle of  lodge  poles;  even  the  dogs  were  silent.  A  mounted 
messenger  left  camp  with  a  letter  to  the  commanding 
officer  at  Adkinson  informing  him  of  what  seemed  to 
be  taking  place.  Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  silence 
reigned  supreme — silence  that  was  oppressive.  It  was 
like  a  dead  calm  when  storm  laden  clouds  hang  thick 
and  threatening.  The  hours  from  midnight  to  dawn 
seemed  long  and  tedious.  When  the  sun  sent  its  glim- 
mering rays  up  the  beautiful  valley,  not  a  lodge,  not  a 
soul  or  an  animal  was  in  sight.  Where  a  few  hours  be- 
fore had  stood  a  large  city  in  all  of  its  savage  grandeur, 
with  great  herds  of  horses  and  mules  grazing  in  the 
vicinity,  not  a  living  thing  remained  save  the  prowling 
coyotes  —  all  had  silently  stolen  away.  The  Dragoons 
were  puzzled. 

Mounted  vedettes  went  to  their  posts  upon  the  bluffs 
north  of  camp;  from  there  and  from  the  tops  of  wagons 
the  Indian  camp  ground  was  carefully  examined.  Peel, 
Cuddy  and  I  crossed  over  at  some  distance  apart,  for 


i'IVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  HI 

fear  of  an  ambush,  while  a  line  of  men  on  the  river 
bank  stood  ready  to  support  us.  For  half  a  mile  from 
the  river  bank  towards  the  hills  and  two  miles  along 
the  river  lodge  poles  and  every  kind  of  Indian  equipage 
lay  scattered  upon  the  ground.  Where  each  lodge  had 
stood  more  or  less  of  the  family  property  was  left.  The 
poles  were  all  there.  In  their  haste  they  had  taken 
their  best  lodges  and  whatever  they  could  pack  that  was 
of  greatest  necessity  to  them.  In  a  few  hours  they  had 
packed  hundreds  of  horses,  and  mounted  on  others  had 
scattered  in  all  directions,  to  meet  at  some  appointed 
rendezvous,  probably  hundreds  of  miles  away.  Not  a 
lodge  pole  trail  led  from  the  camp. 

The  men  were  in  high  spirits,  notwithstanding  the 
probability  that  after  their  families  were  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance the  warriors  under  the  great  war  chief  Satanta 
(Sawtanta)  might  make  it  warm  for  them.  In  two  days 
everything  desirable  for  comfort  or  pleasure  had  been 
moved  to  the  Dragoon  camp  and  the  rest  burned.  Not 
a  vestige  of  the  great  Kiowa  and  Comanche  camp  re- 
mained. The  soldiers  had  killikinnick  by  the  bushel  and 
Indian  pipes  to  smoke  it  in,  and  buckskin  in  every  style. 
Buffalo  chips  were  no  longer  gathered  in  sacks  for  fuei, 
lodge  poles  having  taken  their  place. 

But  these  Dragoons  were  not  without  sentiment  and 
sympathy.  Emblems  of  motherly  love  and  helpless  in- 
fancy were  found  in  abundance.  Pappoose  cribs,  buck- 
skin clothing  for  infancy,  maidenhood  and  old  age,  robes, 


112  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

moccasins,  and  trinkets  of  all  kinds,  told  of  the  terrible 
sacrifice  the  women  and  children  had  made,  and  there 
was  general  regret  that  the  helpless  ones  had  left  so 
much  of  home  and  comfort  behind. 

The  Indian  movement  conld  only  be  explained  by 
supposing  that  they  considered  firing  into  their  camp  a 
declaration  of  war.  But  the  Dragoons  could  not  under- 
stand why  so  many  warriors  should  be  so  easily  bluffed. 
They  ha,d  heretofore  been  very  independent  and  saucy. 
While  very  diplomatic  and  deceitful,  Jhe  chiefs  who 
visited  camp  acted  in  a  patronizing  sort  of  way,  leaving 
the  impression  that  they  held  the  soldiers  in  utter  con- 
tempt. Thev  had  learned  enough  to  convince  them 
that  the  superiority  of  the  soldier  was  in  his  arms,  not 
in  his  horsemanship  (for  the  Kiowas  and  Comanches 
were  the  finest  horsemen  in  the  world),  nor  in  his 
strength  and  prowess  as  a  warrior.  These  athletic,  sin- 
ewy sons  of  the  plains  were  from  an  ancestry  that  had 
been  warriors  since  the  race  was  created,  so  far  as  known, 
and  from  their  infancy  through  every  stage  of  their  ex- 
istence their  normal  condition  was  that  of  warriors  and 
champions  of  the  chase.  From  instinct  and  education 
they  were  alert,  cunning,  strategic,  recklessly  brave,  and 
capable  of  subsisting  where  white  men  would  utterly 
perish.  To  say  that  such  men  given  equal  arms  and 
supplies,  are  not  the  equals,  as  rank  and  file  soldiers, 
of  any  race  known  to  history  is  bald  nonsense. 

Two  days  after  the  Indian  movement  the  train  and 
escort  heretofore  referred  to;  including  some  artillery. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  H3 

came  up  en  route  to  New  Mexico.  Lieuenant  Hastings 
was  not  expecting  them  so  soon.  It  seems  that  Indian 
runners  brought  the  news  of  their  approach,  and  their 
conclusion  was  that  the  troops  were  coming  to  help 
clear  them  out,  and  firing  into  their  camp  confirmed 
this  belief,  hence  their  sudden  departure.  It  was  an  odd 
coincidence. 

Major  Chilton  joined  from  a  six  months'  leave. 

Two  weeks  had  passed,  no  Indians  had  been  seen,  and 
the  two  great  tribes  that  harassed  the  travel  and  were 
a  standing  menace  to  the  commerce  of  the  plains  were 
believed  to  have  gone  to  Texas,  and  would  probably  ex- 
tend their  raid  into  Old  Mexico,  as  was  their  habit. 
This  had  been  a  bad  season  for  them.  They  had  cap- 
tured no  trains,  no  fresh  scalps  dangled  at  their  bridle- 
bits,  and  they  had  met  with  heavy  loss  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  camp.  Peace  seemed  assured  for  the  bal- 
ance of  the  flighting  season. 

Owing  to  the  great  amount  of  travel,  the  buffalo 
kept  away  from  the  road,  and  to  procure  fresh  meat 
(which  we  needed  very  much)  it  was  necessary  to  go  a 
few  miles  from  it.  One  bright  morning  Sergeant  Peel 
and  a  comrade  got  permission  to  go  on  a  hunt  as  far 
as  what  Sergeant "  Ferguson  called  "Angel  Spring,"  the 
head  of  what  is  now  known  as  South  Fork  of  Pawnee 
Fork  of  the  Arkansas,  six  miles  north  of  camp,  it  Le- 
ing  understood  that  Sergeant  Cook  would  be  out  there 
with  a  six-mule  team  about  noon  to  haul  in  whatever 
the  hunters  killed. 


114  F1YE  YEARS  A  DRAGOOX. 

At  seventeen  years  of  age  Langford  M.  Peel  enlisted 
at  Carlisle  Barracks  as  a  bugler.  His  father  was  a  sol- 
dier, and  Peel  was  practically  raised  in  the  army.  He 
was  assigned  to  "B"  Troop,  commanded  by  Captain  E.  V. 
Sumner.  In  the  spring  of  1846,  in  a  battle  at  the  mouth 
of  Coon  Creek,  heretofore  referred  to,  Brevet  Captain 
Lovel  commanding  the  troop,  Bugler  Peel,  then  not  twen- 
ty years  of  age,  was  credited  with  having  killed  three 
Indians.  Three  years  and  a  half  later,  in  a  battle  with 
Pawnees  near  Fort  Kearney,  he  killed  two,  and  a  month 
later,  one.'  He  was  the  best  specimen  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  pounds,  five  feet  nine  inches,  naturally  bright, 
clear  headed,  cheerful  and  helpful  always;  as  keen  as  an 
Indian  on  the  trail,  well  up  in  every  branch  of  prairie 
craft,  a  perfect  horseman,  possessing  unlimited  courage 
and  endurance,  he  was  a  man  to  be  relied  on  and  trusted 
in  every  emergency.  A  full  set  of  such  non-commis- 
sioned officers  under  a  good  commander  would  make  a 
troop  invincible  against  any  reasonable  odds. 

Peel  and  his  companion  arrived  early,  drank  from  the 
lovely  spring,  watered  their  horses,  and  hobbled  and 
picketed  them  for  safety.  Buffalo  were  plentiful,  and 
seemed  perfectly  at  ease  on  the  grazing  ground,  indicat- 
ing that  they  had  not  been  disturbed,  and  giving  assur- 
ance to  the  hunters  that  no  Indians  were  in  the  vicinity. 
Waiting  patiently  for  the  buffalo  to  go  to  water,  in  a 
couple  of  hours  they  had  two  fine  ones  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  spring,  cut  up  ready  for  transportation. 
Then  they  built  a  fire  of  buffalo  chips,  broiled  meat,  and 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  H5 

feasted  as  only  an  Indian  or  a  plainsman  can;  smoked 
and  recounted  their  adventures.  Noon,  and  Cook  and 
the  wagon  not  in  sight.  The  creek  from  Angel  Spring 
runs  a  little  east  of  north;  on  the  east,  bluffy;  in  some 
places,  vertical,  rocky  bluffs  from  ten  to  thirty  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  creek;  to  the  west,  some  bottom,  gradual- 
ly sloping  to  high  ground.  Along  the  creek,  which  hugged 
the  bluffs  pretty  closely,  was  scattered  trees,  choke  cher- 
ry and  wild  plum  bushes,  with  numerous  wild  grape 
vines,  forming  patches  of  dense  thicket  in  some  places. 
Little  more  than  a  mile  north  of  the  spring  a  herd  of 
buffalo  lay  in  the  open  bottom.  The  land  lay  so  that  it 
was  easy  to  approach  them,  and  the  wind  favorable,  the 
temptation  was  great. 

The  campaign  had  been  one  of  monotonous  care  and 
drudgery,  and  no  mounted  hunting  had  been  allowed 
on  account  of  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  horses  in  the 
best  possible  condition,  and  this  was  the  first  good  oppor- 
tunity to  have  some  real  sport.  They  agreed  to  make  a 
ten  minutes'  run  to  see  which  could  kill  the  most  in  that 
time,  the  pending  bet  being  a  good  dinner  when  they 
reached  "America."  Such  was  civilization  called  among 
plainsmen.  They  approached  the  herd  at  a  walk,  and 
were  within  easy  pistol  shot  before  the  buffalo  saw  them. 
Then  each  went  his  way,  Peel  to  the  west,  his  companion 
to  the  east.  The  latter  dropped  his  first  buffalo  in  the 
bottom,  the  second  ran  east  to  the  top  of  the  bluff  where 
he  fell.     The  man  was  down  cutting  out  the  tongue,  al- 


JjO  FIVN  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

wa)b  ihe  sportsman's  trophy,  when  the  voice  of  Peel  ran  > 
out,  as  he  came  up  the  hill,  "Get  on  your  horse!"  No 
time  was  lost,  and  looking  east  he  pointed  to  fifty  or 
more  Indians  in  a  half  circle  half  a  mile  away,  their  left 
wing  so  far  advanced  that  retreat  towards  camp  was  cut 
off.  Consultation  was  brief.  Peel  led  the  way  down  the 
hill,  circling  around  a  thicket,  carefully  selecting  the 
firm  buffalo  grass  sod  so  as  to  leave  no  trail,  and  drew 
into  cover  not  twenty  yards  from  where  some  of  the  In- 
dians were  sure  to  come  down.  Here  they  sat  on  their 
horses,  pistol  in  hand.  They  had  no  future  plans;  they 
might  have  to  fight  to  death  under  that  bluff;  they 
would  do  whatever  circumstances  seemed  to  dictate. 

They  had  not  long  to  wait.  The  Indians  came  rat- 
tling down  the  rocky  trails  leading  into  the  bottom,  send- 
ing out  their  blood-curdling  war-whoop  at  every  jump. 
They  seemed  to  think  the  fleeing  men  would  try  to  escape 
towards  camp,  and  be  enveloped  in  the  circle;  did  not 
think  they  would  stop  to  hide,  or  that  they  would  do 
anything  but  run  for  their  lives,  which  would  be  sure 
death.  Their  greatest  success  had  been  against  demoral- 
ized men  who  had  given  up  hope  and  lost  their  heads, 
which  soon  made  their  scalps  an  easy  prey.  One  brawny 
brave  drew  rein  at  the  foot  of  the  trail  where  the  men 
had  come  down,  raised  himself  in  his  stirrups  and  looked 
sharply  towarHs  them.  PeePs  companion,  believing  they 
were  discovered,  and  that  a  signal  would  bring  the  whole 
pack  of  howling  demons,  raised  his  pistol  to  shoot;  but 
Peel  quietly  reached  over,  and  placing  his  hand  on  his 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  117 

comrade's  arm  gently  pressed  it  down.  In  less  time  than 
it  takes  to  tell  it  the  Indian  was  off  to  the  west,  showing 
by  his  actions  that  he  had  not  seen  them.  Hearing  no 
more  noise  from  the  east,  the  way  seemed  clear  in  that 
direction.  Peel  led  the  way  out,  and  they  quietly  walked 
their  horses  up  where  they  had  gone  down  a  few  minutes 
before,  turned  south,  and  gently  trotted  towards  camp, 
saving  their  horses'  wind  for  the  critical  moment  which 
they  knew  must  soon  come. 

By  this  time  the  Indians  seemed  confused.  The  hunt- 
ers could  see  most  of  them  riding  helter  skelter  and  peer- 
ing from  the  highest  points  to  the  west  of  the  creek, 
never  dreaming  that  they  had  passed  the  game.  More 
than  half  a  mile  had  been  covered,  not  away  from  the 
enemy,  but  directly  south,  slipping  by,  when  suddenly 
they  were  discovered,  and  every  Indian  charged  toward 
them  furiously.  But  the  hunters'  horses  were  compara- 
tively fresh;  they  were  on  the  high  ground,  and  as  far 
south  towards  camp  as  the  most  southern  Indian,  with 
four  or  five  miles  of  nearly  level  stretch  ahead  of  them, 
while  the  Indians  had  to  oblique  to  the  east  and  rise  con- 
siderably to  gain  their  level,  and  they  felt  that  while  the 
race  would  be  interesting,  barring  an  accident  they  were 
pretty  safe.  The  greatest  danger  was  that  a  horse  might 
step  in  a  prairie  dog  or  badger  hole  and  fall,  hence  they 
rode  with  great  care. 

When  fairly  under  way  and  all  on  a  level  the  soldiers 
were  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead.  Soon  the  wagon  was 
seen,  Cook's  horse  tied  behind,  while  he  rode  with  Mat- 


118  FIVE  TEARS  a  DRAGOON. 

thews  on  the  "lazy  board,"  as  they  smoked  and  chatted. 
Then,  to  attract  Cook's  attention,  and  not  lose  a  shot, 
the  two  hunters  turned  in  their  saddles  and  fired  at  the 
Indians.  Quickly  Cook  was  seen  to  mount  his  horse, 
Matthews  turned  his  team,  and  Cook  "interested"  the 
mules  with  a  "blaeksnake"  whip.  About  two  miles  further, 
and  the  hunters  were  close  to  the  wagon.  A  vedette  on 
the  high  point  north  of  camp  saw  something  wrong  in 
the  distance  and  discharged  his  musketoon;  then  the  oth- 
er vedette  on  another  high  point  discharged  his.  In  the 
meantime  the  Indians  had  not  been  gaining  on  the  men 
until  within  the  last  mile,  and  then  only  because  the 
team  impeded  their  progress  a  little.  Not  half  of  them 
had  kept  to  the  front;  some  were  a  mile  behind.  Arrived 
near  the  vedettes,  Matthews  was  allowed  to  go  down  the 
hill  alone  to  camp  not  half  a  mile  away.  Cook  joined 
the  hunters  and  shooting  began  in  earnest,  including  the 
two  vedettes,  who  had  been  using  their  musketoons  at 
long  range  for  all  they  were  worth.  Seeing  the  hope- 
lessness of  capturing  their  game,  and  knowing  that  a 
strong  force  from  the  troop  would  soon  be  up  the  hill, 
having  lost  two  ponies  and  had  some  of  their  number 
wounded  the  Indians  retreated.  At  the  risk  of  their  lives 
they  always  carry  off  the  dead  and  wounded  if  possible. 
When  Lieutenant  Hastings  with  half  of  the  troop  came  up 
the  steep  hill  the  Indians  were  well  on  the  retreat,  and 
he  followed  them  only  a  short  distance  beyond  the  crip- 
pled ponies.  Horse  flesh  was  too  precious  to  be  wasted  in 
a  pursuit  that  could  accomplish  nothing. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  ng 

No  fresh  meat  cheered  the  camp  that  night,  but  it 
was  a  jolly  camp.  All  answered  to  their  names  at  retreat 
roll  call.  There  was  something  new  to  talk  about,  as  the 
men  sat  around  lodge  pole  fires  and  related  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  grand  old  troop. 

The  next  day  Major  Chilton  with  a  part  of  the  troop, 
including  those  in  the  excitement  of  the  previous  day, 
went  to  the  spring,  killed  more  buffalo  and  returned 
with  a  wagon  load.  No  Indians  were  seen,  and  the 
wolves  were  feasting  on  the  buffalo  killed  the  day  before. 
Of  course,  Major  Chilton  examined  the  ground  that  Peel 
and  his  companion  had  gone  over,  including  the  hiding 
place  and  the  race  course. 

Now,  when  Peel  discovered  the  Indians  he  was  half  a 
mile  west  of  his  comrade  and  nearly  one  and  a  half  from 
the  Indians.  He  could  have  easily  escaped  by  going 
south  towards  camp.  He  had  scarcely  one  chance  in  ten 
to  save  his  friend,  but  he  took  that  chance,  such  as  it 
was,  in  the  face  of  almost  sure  death.  He  saw  the  thick- 
et and  the  steep  shelving  bluff  as  he  went  up  the  hill.  To 
hide  there  seemed  the  extreme  of  recklessness,  but  he 
builded  better  than  he  knew.  Until  that  moment  he 
had  no  idea  how  to  act  unless  they  got  on  a  high  point 
and  with  their  pistols  stood  off  the  Indians  until  help 
should  come.  The  latter  was  all  he  hoped  for,  and  he 
knew  that  if  Cook  saw  the  situation,  that  hero  in  every 
emergency  would  join  the  two  or  die.  One  iota  of  weak- 
ness would  have  induced  Peel  to  abandon  his  friend  and 
save  himself,  and  how  easily  Cook  could  have  left  the 


120  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

teamster  and  rode  to  camp  for  the  troop,  as  many  a  cow- 
ard has  done,  and  been  counted  a  hero  for  the  noise  he 
made.  But  no  such  weakness  troubled  his  manly  soul. 
Like  Peel,  he  was  a  born  hero.  The  vedettes  on  the 
bluffs  could  have  pulled  their  picket  pins,  mounted  their 
horses  and  rode  into  camp  after  discharging  their  guns — 
such  were  their  general  instructions;  but  they  saw  their 
comrades  in  trouble,  and  Charles  McDonald  and  Edward 
O'Meara  confirmed  the  faith  that  they  had  in  them. 

And  what  became  of  the  Indians  who  pursued  the 
hunters  ?  A  freight  train  returning  from  New  Mexico 
saw  a  band  of  Indians — supposed  to  be  the  same — some 
distance  south  of  the  Cimarron  Crossing  a  day  or  two 
later,  and  corralled  to  stand  them  off,  but  the  Indians 
seemed  in  a  hurry  and  did  not  trouble  the  train.  These 
were  the  last  Indians  seen  on  the  trail  that  season. 

To  put  in  a  little  more  time  and  make  sure  that  there 
was  no  further  danger  to  trains,  Major  Chilton  went  up 
the  river  about  ten  days,  traveling  about  five  miles  per 
day — going  through  the  skirmish  drill  all  the  way — the 
principal  object  being  to  get  fresh  grass  and  exercise  for 
the  horses  and  practice  for  the  men.  We  returned  leis- 
urely along  the  trail,  met  F.  X.  Aubry,  the  champion  rid- 
er of  the  plains,  Colonel  William  Bent,  of  Bent's  Fort, 
and  Maxwell,  of  Eiado,  New  Mexico.  All  were  of  the 
opinion  that  the  Indians  would  not  return  to  the  trail 
that  season.  From  Pawnee  Fork  we  made  time  for  home 
— Fort  Leavenworth. 

At   Council   Gnove   we  got  corn — the   first   in   two 


FIVE  YEARS  A   DRAGOON.  121 

months — and  fed  a  quart  to  each  horse  and  mule  night 
and  morning  from  there  in.  Our  horses  were  thin  in 
flesh  hut  otherwise  in  good  condition.  We  had  but  the 
two  company  wagons  for  transportation  of  rations,  tents 
and  other  camp  equipage.  Of  course,  we  drew  rations  at 
Adkinson  when  necessary. 

All  the  way  in  the  grass  was  dead.  Plenty  of  buffalo 
from  Pawnee  Fork  to  the  east  line  of  what  is  now  Mc- 
Pherson  County,  and  turkey  on  every  stream.  They 
had  never  been  hunted,  hence  not  easily  scared,  and  were 
big  and  fat. 

On  arriving  at  the  fort  the  Major  found  an  order 
waiting  for  him  to  escort  and  act  with  Major  Ogden, 
quartermaster,  to  locate  a  new  military  post  near  the 
junction  of  the  Republican  and  Smoky  Hill  branches  of 
the  Kaw  River.  In  three  davs  fifty  men  had  clothing 
replenished,  rations  and  forage  drawn,  some  horses  shod, 
and  were  on  the  road.  Sufficient  transportation  was 
taken  to  haul  corn  for  the  animals.  The  most  unservice- 
able men  and  horses  were  left  behind,  Lieutenant  Hast- 
ings in  charge  of  them.  The  Santa  Fe  Trail  was  follow- 
ed to  the  crossing  of  Soldier  Creek,  four  miles  north  of 
Pappan's  Ferry,  thence  to  Silver  Lake — up  the  Kaw 
through  St.  Mary's  Mission,  where  Father  Deurinck  had 
a  flourishing  school  for  Pottawatomie  children,  thence 
fifty-two  miles  to  the  junction  of  the  rivers  above  men- 
tioned. A  week  was  spent  in  that  vicinity,  resulting  in 
the  location  of  the  new  post,  afterwards  named  Fort  Riley, 
about  130  miles  from  Fort  Leavenworth.     A  band   of 


122  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Delaware  Indians  returning  from  a  buffalo  hunt  said 
there  were  plenty  of  buffalo  twenty-five  miles  west  of  the 
new  post.  We  were  never  without  turkey  a'ter  reaching 
the  Big  Blue  River  until  our  return.  It  was  a  little  late 
in  the  season,  nights  cold,  but  no  rain  or  snow,  and  with 
big  fires  and  plenty  to  eat,  the  trip  was  rather  pleasant. 
Having  arrived  in  Salt  Greek  Valley,  three  miles  from 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Major  Chilton  made  a  speech  to  the 
troop,  in  which  he  gave  them  excellent  advice  concerning 
their  conduct  in  garrison.  (Major  Ogden  was  a  strictly 
temperate,  religious  man,  and  I  always  thought  that  he 
inspired  this  speech.)  They  had  made  a  good  campaign, 
a  campaign  that  should  be  a  credit  to  any  troop.  Un- 
fortunately there  were  men  who  would  become  intoxi- 
cated, get  in  trouble  and  cause  trouble  for  every  one 
having  anything  to  do  with  them.  He  advised  them  that 
whiskey  was  their  worst  enemy,  and  if  they  drank  at  all 
not  to  get  drunk,  and  assured  them  that  leniency  for 
those  who  did  need  not  be  expected,  for  he  would  not 
have  his  troop  destroyed  in  that  way.  I  think  that  speech 
did  much  good;  moderate  drinkers  watched  the  fellows 
who  had  little  control  of  themselves,  and  curtailed  the 
excesses. 

Heretofore  during  winter  about  ten  per  cent,  of  the 
troop  weTe  undergoing  punishment  in  the  guard  house, 
much  of  the  time  by  sentence  of  garrison  court  martial — 
forfeiture  of  pay  and  time  in  the  guard  bouse — nearly 
all  of  the  offenses  growing  out  of  drinking  whiskey.  I 
talked  with  the  noncommissioned  officers  about  it,  and 
cautioned  each  one  in  charge  of  a  squad  to  give  personal 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  123 

attention  to  their  men  and  stop  any  man  who  seemed  to 
be  verging  on  the  danger  point  in  drinking,  and  if  he 
could  not  control  him  bring  him  to  me.  Sometimes  a 
man  was  brought  to  me  and  I  shut  him  in  a  store  room 
to  sober  off  and  then  put  him  on  extra  duty  for  punish- 
ment. During  the  winter  we  had  several  company  courts 
martial,  three  noncommissioned  officers  sitting  in  judg- 
ment, and  the  proceedings  reviewed  and  acted  upon  by 
the  first  sergeant.  Of  course,  the  written  proceedings 
were  not  very  voluminous.  The  result  was,  no  man  was 
tried  by  general  or  garrison  court  martial;  summary 
courts  were  unknown.  Another  result,  some  men  were 
doing  extra  guard  and  fatigue  duty  instead  of  loafing  in 
the  guard  house  and  letting  better  men  do  their  duty. 
When  a  man  could  not  be  managed  without  violence  he 
went  to  the  guard  house,  but  much  of  the  time  "B"  Troop 
was  not  represented  there. 

If  punishment  was  not  immediately  meted  out  to  an 
offender,  his  record  was  fairly  kept  and  he  was  sure  to  be 
called  on  for  the  next  fatigue  party  (details  for  fatigue 
to  do  some  kind  of  dirty  work),  and  during  the  whole 
winter  scarcely  a  decently  clean  soldier  was  called  upon — 
always  the  troublesome  fellows  got  the  job.  Twice  the 
findings  of  a  court  and  the  approval  of  the  first  sergeant 
were  appealed  from  and  the  parties  sent  with  a  noncom- 
missioned officer  to  the  Major,  who  heard  their  com- 
plaint, and  sent  back  word  to  me  that  if  I  had  any  more 
trouble  with  them  to  put  them  in  the  guard  house.  No 
officer  ever  saw  the  proceedings  of  the  company  courts; 


124  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

they  did  not  want  to.  I  gave  all  the  dissatisfied  ones  to 
understand  that  if  they  had  any  grievance  I  would  send 
them  to  the  Major  to  make  their  own  statement. 

Of  course  we  did  not  always  have  peace  and  happi- 
ness, nor  freedom  from  drunkenness,  but  we  came  nearer 
having  home  rule — self  government — government  within 
the  troop  and  by  the  members  of  it  than  any  of  the  old- 
est members  had  before  seen.  It  was  a  little  binding  on 
ten  per  cent,  of  them  who  were  taught  many  good  les- 
sons in  respectful  demeanor  and  language  towards  non- 
commissioned officers;  they  could  not  hide  insolence  and 
abuse  under  the  cloak  of  drunk,  and  hence  not  account- 
able. There  was  much  whiskey  drunk  and  no  effort  made 
to  conceal  it.  "Budgen-ken,"  a  sort  of  company  club,  in 
a  place  fixed  up  between  the  two  stables,  was  always  sup- 
plied, each  drinker  "chipping  in"  to  buy  whiskey,  and 
the  men  were  given  to  understand  that  any  abuse  of  the 
privilege  would  insure  its  destruction.  No  whiskey  was 
allowed  in  the  quarters,  a  rule  which  was  closely  lived 
up  to. 

Soon  after  returning  to  quarters,  the  Major  came  to 
the  orderly  room  and  broached  the  subject  of  a  company 
library.  He  had  learned  the  cost  of  "Harpers  Classical 
and  Family  Libraries";  a  pair  of  book  cases,  with  hinges 
c]osing  the  edges  on  one  side,  and  two  locks  the  edges  on 
the  other  side,  held  the  library  of  uniform  size  and  bind- 
ing. When  open  the  title  of  each  book  could  be  read, 
and  when  closed  no  book  could  move  or  get  out  of  place ; 
the  books  were  all  the  same  length  and  breadth,  and  an 
excellent  collection.     The  Major  led  off  with  a  subscrip- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  125 

tion  of  $25.00.  I  followed  with  the  same,  Peel  the  same, 
then  followed  a  calculation  of  what  percentage  would  be 
due  from  each  man  in  proportion  to  his  pay  to  make  up 
enough  to  pay  for  the  whole.  I  took  the  list  with  each 
man's  name.  The  Major  spoke  to  the  troop  on  the  sub- 
ject at  the  retreat  roll  call,  explaining  to  them  the  advan- 
tages of  so  much  good  reading  matter,  and  before  dismis- 
sing the  troop  I  requested  each  man  who  wanted  to  sub- 
scribe to  come  to  the  orderly  room  and  sign  the  list  pledg- 
ing himself  to  pay  the  amount  opposite  his  name  on  pay 
day.  Most  of  the  men  off  duty  and  at  liberty  signed  im- 
mediately and  the  others  soon  after,  and  the  library  was 
assured  with  scarcely  an  effort.  The  Major  collected  the 
money  at  the  pay  table,  and  the  books  in  their  cases 
came  on  the  first  steamboat  in  February.  Of  course  the 
library  was  sure  to  give  me  some  trouble,  but  it  was  so 
popular  and  had  such  a  good  effect  that  with  Bugler  Bry- 
don's  help  I  got  used  to  it  and  ceased  to  look  upon  it  as  a 
burden.  Compared  to  present  usage  there  was  little 
writing  to  be  done  in  transacting  troop  business,  and  1 
never  had  a  regular  clerk.  Lieutenant  Hastings  always 
assisted  with  the  muster  rolls  and  anything  else  that  I 
asked  him  to;  he  liked  to  do  it;  and  by  calling  in  a  man 
for  two  or  three  days  in  a  month  I  was  never  much  crowd- 
ed with  writing. 

Our  troop  ball "  came  off — a  decided  improvement 
over  that  of  the  previous  winter. 

A  few  recruits  from  Carlisle  came  up  on  a  steamboat 
soon  after  we  came  in.  The  lance  sergeant  in  charge,"  a 
cultivated  gentleman,   said  little  about  himself  except 


126  FIYE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

that  he  had  experienced  ups  and  downs  in  business;  had 
lived  some  time  in  Cuba,  and  knew  considerable  of  the 
business  world.  He  seemed  to  have  no  bad  habits,  and 
was  soon  made  a  corporal.  He  made  the  next  summer's 
campaign  and  spent  the  following  winter  with  us,  and  was 
discharged  in  the  spring  of  1854  by  order  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  War.  He  was  the  son  of  United  States  Senator 
Clark,  of  Khode  Island.  He  was  commissioned  first 
lieutenant  First — now  Fourth — Cavalry  when  it  was  au- 
thorized in  1855,  served  a  couple  of  years  and  resigned  to 
take  a  position  in  a  business  house  in  Leavenworth.  Drift- 
ing along  with  varying  fortune,  he  became  hospital 
steward  of  the  Military  Prison  when  it  was  established, 
and  died  there  several  years  ago.  I  have  mentioned  this 
case  to  show  the  ups  and  downs  in  some  good  men's  lives.* 


*Hartford  T.  Clark  was  born  in  1827,  and  is  a  descendant  of 
Revolutionary  stock  of  prominence.  His  maiernal  great  grand- 
father was  none  other  than  Stephen  Hopkins,  one  of  the  two 
delegates  from  Rhode  Island  who  signed  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  After  learning  the  trade  of  a  pharmacist  he 
enlisted  in  the  army  in  New  York,  and  was  sent  to  Carlisle 
Barracks,  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he  in  due  time  reached  the 
First  Dragoons.  Upon  his  discharge  from  the  service  he  was 
appointed  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  1st  Cavalry,  the  date  in  the 
records  being  given  as  March  3,  1855,  an  appointment  which 
expired  by  limitation  May  1,  1856  He  again  enlisted  in  the 
army,  and  his  knowledge  as  pharmacist  being  valuable,  was 
appointed  a  hospital  steward  in  January,  I860.  He  served  as 
such  much  of  the  time  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  having  been 
transferred  there  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  was  discharged 
July  30,  lc63.  He  is  again  found  in  the  army  in  1875,  for 
early  in  that  year  he  was  appointed  hospital  steward  again 
and  assigned  to  duty  at  the  U.  S.  Military  Prison  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  where  he  served  until  the  date  of  his  death,  June 
7,  1881.  Prior  to  his  death  he  made  a  request  of  the  military 
authorities  that  upon  the  death  of  his  wife  her  burial  at  his 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  127 

Another  man  in  this  same  squad  of  recruits  was  a 
tall,  fine  looking,  rather  polished  man,  with  a  fine  set  of 
dental  instruments,  and  proved  to  be  a  fine  workman;  a 
genial,  cheerful  fellow,  he  made  friends  easily  (Worrell 
by  name),  became  a  corporal,  then  a  sergeant.  But  I  skip 
his  history  until  I  left  the  troop,  of  which  he  hoped  to 
be  first  sergeant  at  the  expiration  of  my  time,  but  through 
my  influence  failed,  and  was  the  only  man  that  I  did  not 
shake  by  the  hand  and  say  "good  by"  to  when  I  left  the 
troop.  To  be  brief,  he  got  discharged,  and  when  the 
First,  now  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  was  raised,  enlisted  and 
was  made  first  sergeant  of  one  of  the  troops,  served  about 
a  year  and  then  with  some  company  funds  and  the  farrier 
of  his  troop  deserted,  taking  with  them  horses  and  equip- 
ments and  pistols.  Down  towards  Jefferson  City,  Mis- 
souri, they  stopped  at  a  plantation  for  the  night  and  there 
met  a  Mr.  Gordon,  chief  engineer  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railroad,  then  being  built  between  St.  Louis  and  Jeffer- 
son City.  In  the  morning  all  three  left  the  plantation 
on  horseback  traveling  the  same  road.  A  few  miles  on 
the  road  Worrell  shot  Gordon  from  behind,  robbed  him 
of  considerable  money  and  hid  his  body  in  some  brush. 
But  the  history  of  this  case,  the  capture  of  the  murderer 

side  be  permitted.  A  lot  was  so  left  vacant,  and  upon  her 
demise,  in  1897.  her  body  was  deposited  in  the  spot  she  had 
hoped  some  day  to  be  placed  to  be  near  her  husband.  She 
was  the  grand-daughter  of  Count  DeSanno,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  with  Lafayette  and  later  located  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  John  Clark,  the  eldest  of  two  sons  and  the  second 
of  five  children  of  Hartford  T.,  is  at  present  employed  as  as- 
sistant engineer  in  the  Quartermaster's  Department  at  Fort 
Leavenworth.— [Editor.] 


128  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

and  his  execution  after  several  trials,  in  which  his  good 
father  and  mother  spent  much  money,  is  recorded  in  the 
proceedings  of  the  courts,  and  I  refer  to  it  here  to  prove 
the  correctness  of  my  judgment  in  regard  to  this  man's 
character. 

Spring  came,  and  early  in  April  we  were  on  the  way 
to  the  Arkansas.  The  desertions  during  the  winter  were 
not  numerous,  and  they  not  damaging.  A  few  horses 
had  been  turned  over  to  the  Quartermaster  and  new  ones 
received,  so  that  we  were  again  well  mounted. 

Fort  Adkinson  was  to  be  abandoned,  and  in  its  stead 
a  camp  established  on  Walnut  Creek  near  its  confluence 
with  the  Arkansas.  We  took  along  teams  and  citizen 
teamsters  to  transport  the  Government  property  from 
the  Arkansas  to  the  new  camp,  and  utilized  them  to  haul 
forage  for  our  horses,  so  that  we  were  able  to  feed  two 
quarts  of  corn  to  each  horse  every  day  for  some  time, 
and  finally  came  down  to  one  quart.  We  were  supplied 
so  that  we  had  some  corn  all  summer. 

This  was  one  of  the  most  trying  seasons  in  my  ex- 
perience. 

Having  spent  the  night  at  Cow  Creek,  the  next 
camp  would  be  "Big  Bend"  of  the  Arkansas,  eighteen 
miles.  About  midway  between  these  points,  now  in  Rice 
County,  was  a  line  of  high  sandy  hills,  called  "Sand 
Buttes,"  sometimes  "Plum  Buttes."  With  his  usual 
piudence  and  fore-thought  in  passing  through  broken 
country  and  in  crossing  streams,  a  habit  which  had  en- 
abled him  to  travel  with  one  troop  through  all  the  tribes 
from  the  North  Platte  to  Mexico,  and  from  the  Missouri 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  129 

to  the  mountains  without  being  surprised,  the  Major 
threw  out  skirmishers,  a  corporal  and  four  men,  riding 
twenty-five  or  thirty  yards  apart.  Having  reached  the 
highest  "Butte"  the  corporal  discharged  his  pistol,  the 
four  men  rallied  on  him,  the  troop  moved  forward  quickly, 
part  thrown  out  in  line  of  skirmishers.  Ten  yards  from 
the  corporal  was  a  dead  Mexican,  and  within  a  hundred 
yards  two  more.  One  was  still  breathing,  and  blood  was 
trickling  from  their  scalped  heads.  Away  down  towards 
the  Arkansas  was  a  large  Mexican  train.  The  dead  men 
belonged  to  it,  and  were  hunting  antelope  in  the  hills 
when  killed.  Ponies  and  arms  were  gone.  They  were 
evidently  completely  surprised.  After  following  the 
Indian  trail  a  short  distance  it  was  completely  obliterated 
by  countless  thousands  of  buffalo  tracks.  The  Mexican 
train  was  corralled  on  the  plain  below  and  the  Dragoons 
moved  to  it,  but  they  had  corralled  to  let  the  herds  of 
buffalo  pass  by,  and  had  not  seen  any  Indians. 

From  Cow  Creek  to  Coon  Creek  travel  was  nearly 
blocked  by  buffalo.  Standing  on  any  high  point  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  a  vast  moving  mass  could  be  seen, 
making  the  earth  tremble  with  their  trampling  and  bel- 
lowing. 

We  arrived  at  camp  near  Adkinson;  "D"  Company 
Sixth  Infantry  moved  to  the  new  camp  on  Walnut  Creek; 
Major  Chilton  and  Lieutenant  Hastings  located  in  the 
commanding  officer's  quarters,  which  was  a  pretty  com- 
fortable sod  building,  and  the  men  of  the  troop  occupied 
the  soldiers'  quarters. 


130  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Sergeant  Cook,  acting  wagonmaster,  made  regular 
trips  to  and  from  the  new  camp,  moving  everything  that 
could  be  utilized  in  completing  it.  On  one  of  his  trips, 
one  morning  after  leaving  camp  on  Pawnee  Fork,  Cook 
was  asleep  in  the  front  wagon ;  he  never  got  a  good  night's 
sleep  on  these  trips.  His  little  escort  of  two  infantry- 
men to  each  wagon  was  also  asleep.  The  teams  were  mov- 
ing along  up  the  incline  from  the  Pawnee  Fork  bottom 
to  the  "dry  route/'  by  the  head  of  Coon  Creek,  when 
suddenly  a  band  of  Indians  came  up,  stopped  the  train 
and  demanded  a  feast,  etc.  Cook  hurried  out  and  mount- 
ed his  horse.  He  was  pointed  out  as  the  chief,  and  to 
their  demand  for  "tobac"  he  said  "No,"  when  the  leader 
hit  him  a  vicious  blow  with  his  "quirt"  or  riding  whip 
and  raised  his  bow  and  arrow.  Cook  shot  the  Indian, 
who  fell  from  his  horse,  and  shot  two  more  who  clung  to 
their  horses  as  they  ran  off.  The  escort  was  out  of  the 
wagons  by  this  time,  but  Cook  had  done  the  work  and 
the  band  was  gone,  about  a  dozen.  Eealizing  that  prob- 
ably this  was  only  a  small  party  from  a  larger  force  near 
by,  Cook  straightened  out  his  teams,  left  the  dead  Indian 
and  made  the  best  time  he  could.  This  happened  about 
9  a.  m.  The  next  morning  before  sunrise  a  vedette  call- 
ed attention  to  a  train  down  the  road  some  miles  traveling 
unusually  fast.  I  reported  to  Major  Chilton,  who  told 
me  to  mount  ten  men  and  go  down  to  meet  the  train, 
which  I  did,  and  met  Cook  two  miles  below  camp.  He 
had  traveled  over  fifty  miles  in  twenty  hours,  watering 
and  feeding  a  little  twice.  He  knew  the  Indians  to  be 
Osages,  supposed  to  be  entirely  friendly,  but  stealing  and 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  131 

robbing  whenever  they  could  bluff  a  small  party.  A  de- 
tachment of  dragoons  accompanied  the  train  the  next 
day,  which  wound  up  the  moving. 

News  had  come  that  a  "pow-wow"  was  to  be  held  at 
or  near  Adkinson  during  the  summer,  and  large  amounts 
of  presents  would  be  distributed;  that  in  addition  to  the 
Kiowas  and  Comanches,  the  Prairie  Apaches  would  be 
there,  and  that  Major  Fitzpatrick  on  the  part  of  the  In- 
dian Department  would  superintend  the  distribution.  Of 
course  it  meant  the  three  tribes  in  full  force. 

Until  the  final  movement  of  Indians  after  the 
distribution  of  presents  one-half  of  the  troop  was  on 
guard  at  night  and  one-fourth  during  the  day.  Sentinels 
called  the  number  of  post,  the  hour  and  "All  '&  well  I* 
every  half  hour  during  the  night.  In  daytime  the  horses 
were  herded  a  short  distance  below  the  post.  The  In- 
dians were  not  allowed  north  of  the  river  unless  visiting 
by  permission. 

This  condition  of  things  lasted  two  months.  Major 
Chilton  had  a  great  many  talks  with  leading  men  of  the 
Kiowa  and  Comanche  tribes.  Satanta,  the  war  chief  of 
the  Kiowas,  always  came  rather  neatly  dressed  in  fine 
buckskin,  and  wore  a  handsome  cavalry  saber  and  belt. 
He  was  a  man  about  five  feet  ten,  sparely  made,  muscu- 
lar, cat-like  in  his  movements — more  Spanish  than  In- 
dian in  his  appearance — sharp  features,  thin  lips,  keen 
restless  eyes,  thin  mustache  and  scattering  chin  whiskers 
that  seemed  to  have  stopped  growing  when  one  to  three 
inches  long.  At  the  time  of  which  I  write  he  was  about 
thirty-five  years  old.     He  invariably  came  with  one  ser- 


132  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

vant,  a  Mexican  Indian,  to  the  line  of  sentinels,  dismount- 
ed, leaving  his  handsome  horse  and  Spanish  equipments 
with  the  servant.  Always  before  allowing  an  Indian 
to  come  inside  the  line  of  sentinels  the  sergeant  of  the 
guard  was  called,  who  escorted  the  visitor  to  the  com- 
manding officer,  permission  having  been  given  for  the 
visitor  to  come  in. 

Usually  the  conversations  between  the  Major  and 
Satanta  were  apparently  pleasant,  though  sometimes  the 
latter  became  somewhat  emphatic.  He  complained  of 
the  treatment  the  Indians  received  from  the  whites,  the 
manner  in  which  they  overran  the  country,  destroyed  the 
game  and  ignored  the  Indians'  rights,  and  his  eyes 
flashed  as  he  jammed  the  end  of  his  saber  scabbard  in- 
to the  ground.  Sometimes  the  Major  recounted  the 
efforts  made  by  the  Government  to  look  after  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Indians,  and  the  treacherous  manner  in 
which  such  efforts  were  taken  advantage  of.  Satanta, 
excited,  and  his  black  eyes  flashing,  was  scarcely  a  match 
for  the  Major,  whose  big  black  eyes  fairly  blazed  when 
he  chose  to  be  emphatic.  The  Major  always  tried  to 
be  pacific  and  just,  admitting  many  wrongs  complained 
of,  but  never  permitting  a  threat,  even  by  innuendo,  to 
pass  without  an  emphatic  rebuke.  He  felt  that  Satanta 
was  a  superior,  intelligent  man,  and  treated  him  as  such. 
There  was  a  good  deal  in  common  with  these  two  men. 
Both  had  tempers  easily  excited,  unbounded  energy, 
boldness  and  courage.  Educated  and  civilized,  Satanta 
would  have  been  a  match  for  the  Major  anywhere.  In 
cunning,  Indian  duplicity  and  shrewdness  he  was  a  full 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  133 

match;  but  the  Major  was  not  a  man  to  be  trapped,  nat- 
tered, coaxed,  driven  or  bluffed,  and  if  the  combined 
Kiowa  and  Comanche  tribes  had  him  surrounded  he 
would  roll  his  black  eyes  with  their  broad  white  borders, 
defy  them  and  threaten  to  "wipe  them  off  the  face  of 
the  earth/'  and  no  man  living  could  come  nearer  making 
them  believe  it.  Every  man  of  his  troop  capable  of  im- 
bibing a  stern  determined  spirit  of  defense  knew  that 
his  threats,  though  sometimes  extravagant  in  the  face 
of  overwhelming  thousands,  would  be  defended  to  the 
bitter  end.  His  watchfulness,  care,  prudence  and  clear 
conception  of  Indian  character  were  his  best  safeguards. 
He  could  never  be  caught  napping;  there  was  no  earthly 
danger  of  surprise,  and  no  seventy-five  men  under  such 
discipline,  with  such  a  commander,  armed  as  we  were, 
had  been  overwhelmed  by  men  carrying  bows  and  arrows 
and  lances  only;  hence  staunch,  steady  confidence,  from 
which  there  was  no  swerving,  reigned  supreme  in  our 
camp,  and  men  endured  the  hardships  without  complain- 
ing. About  the  most  comfortable  place  during  the  heat 
of  the  day  was  under  a  tent  fly  stretched  near  my  order- 
ly room,  and  there  I  had  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing 
and  hearing  what  passed  between  the  Major  and  others. 
One  day  when  the  conversation  had  been  quite  ani- 
mated, the  Major  looked  steadily  at  Satanta  and  made 
an  emphatic  assertion  of  what  he  would  do  if  certain 
trains  then  on  the  road  were  interfered  with.  Satanta 
always  spoke  Mexican  Spanish  in  talking  with. the  Ma- 
jor, who  could  understand  fairly  well  what  he  said,  but 


134  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

when  in  doubt  had  the  interpreter  tell  him.  The  inter- 
preter talked  wholly  by  signs,  never  speaking  a  word 
to  Indians.  He  was  a  wonder  in  that  way,  and  under- 
stood the  sign  language  of  every  tribe  on  the  plains. 
The  Major  talked  entirely  through  the  interpreter.  Al- 
though a  mountaineer  and  desperado,  the  Major's  threat 
was  so  bold  that  he  was  afraid  to  interpret  it  correctly, 
hesitated  and  made  few  motions,  all  of  which  the  Major 
noticed,  and  Satanta's  mild,  unconcerned  attitude  con- 
vinced him  that  he  had  not  been  fully  interpreted,  and 
he  called  for  a  file  of  the  guard,  which  came  quickly, 
and  Pyle  (the  interpreter)  found  himself  tied  to  the 
wheel  of  a  cannon  which  stood  near  by,  and  there  he 
remained  until  dark,  when  he  was  confined  in  the  guard 
house,  to  remain,  as  the  Major  said,  "until  he  could  tell 
the  truth/'  "A  life  sentence,"  said  CTMeara.  Satanta 
was  made  to  understand  the  threat,  and  why  the  man 
was  tied  to  the  wheel.  He  soon  took  his  departure,  and 
did  not  come  again  until  Major  Fitzpatrick  came  to 
make  the  "big  talk,"  as  the  Indians  called  it.  Strange 
as  it  may  appear  at  this  time,  there  was  no  representative 
of  the  Indian  Department  except  Major  Fitzpatrick, 
none  of  the  army  except  the  officers  of  "B"  Troop,  and 
no  correspondent  to  write  up  the  grand  "pow-wow" — 
30,000  Indians,  Apaches,  Kiowas  and  Comanches.  To- 
day the  principal  newspapers  of  the  country,  including 
the  illustrated  papers,  would  have  special  correspondents 
on  the  ground.  At  that  time  any  one  except  the  nec- 
essary officials,  attaches  and  military  officers  would  have 
been  an  incumbrance. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  135 

In  a  smaller  way  this  was  as  important  a  distribu- 
tion of  presents  to  the  Indians  as  was  that  in  1851 
at  the  mouth  of  Horse  Creek.  If  it  had  any  newspaper 
record  I  never  heard  of  it.  The  big  ox  train  came  in, 
the  wily  Apaches  (called  Prairie  Apaches  to  distinguish 
them  from  those  ranging  in  southern  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona),  the  Kiowas  and  Comanches  having  assembled 
in  full  force,  the  goods  were  unloaded,  boxes  and  bales 
opened,  the  nabobs  of  the  tribes  decorated  in  brilliant 
uniforms,  medals  and  certificates  issued,  goods  parceled 
out,  winding  up  with  plenty  to  eat,  feasting,  sham  bat- 
tles, etc.  The  Apaches  were  off  their  home  ground  and 
anxious  to  return.  Major  Fitzpatrick  seemed  equally 
anxious  to  have  the  job  over  with  and  kept  his  little 
working  force  and  a  couple  of  clerks  pushing  things. 
The  long  drawn  out  dignity  of  the  Horse  Creek  treaty 
was  lacking. 

Major  Fitzpatrick  had  the  confidence  of  these  as  he 
did  of  all  other  Indians  on  the  plains.  They  claimed 
that  in  the  twenty  years  they  had  known  him  as  agent 
or  trader  he  had  never  lied  to  or  tried  to  deceive  them 
in  any  way,  and  that  his  advice  had  always  been  good — 
a  certificate  of  character  that  few  coud  get. 

The  presents  having  been  distributed,  the  Indians 
went  south,  probably  not  to  return  during  the  season; 
all  the  available  material  at  Adkinson  had  been  moved 
and  the  sods  level  to  the  ground.  We  had  not  seen  a 
buffalo  in  more  than  two  months  or  any  fresh  meat  of 
any  kind  except  some  prairie  dogs  which  Peel  and  I 
killed  with  the  only  rifle  in  the  troop;  no  one  hunted 


136  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

with  it  except  us.  The  musketoons  did  not  shoot  accu- 
rately enough,  and  no  one  was  permitted  to  waste  am- 
munition. From  time  to  time  we  killed  enough  of  the 
little  barkers  to  make  a  stew,  and  found  them  quite  as 
good  as  the  common  gray  squirrel.  Parboiled  and  then 
stewed  with  a  little  fat  bacon  made  them  taste  pretty 
well  to  men  who  had  been  so  long  without  fresh  meat. 
Owing  to  the  proximity  of  the  Indians  there  was  no 
other  game  to  be  had. 

From  our  surroundings  during  the  last  month  we 
were  in  a  critical  position.  It  would  take  but  a  spark 
to  inflame  the  powerful  tribes  confronting  us,  and  sev- 
eral happenings  seemed  to  have  brought  the  climax.  A 
lot  of  trains  were  corralled  a  little  below  and  not  per- 
mitted to  pass  on  until  the  distribution  of  presents  and 
the  Indians  had  moved  off.  To  detail  the  incidents  would 
be  tedious  and  unnecessary  to  this  narrative.  For  a 
month  Lieutenant  Hastings  and  I  divided  the  night  be- 
tween us,  half  and  half,  each  acting  as  officer  of  the 
guard  and  often  walking  from  sentinel  to  sentinel  all 
the  way  around  the  line,  half  the  company  on  guard  and 
half  the  guard  on  post  at  one  time.  I  relieved  Lieuten- 
ant Hastings  at  midnight  and  tried  to  make  up  sleep 
by  an  afternoon  nap.  The  quarters  were  full  of  fleas, 
the  old  sod  walls  full  of  mice  and  snakes,  and  were  soon 
abandoned  for  the  more  comfortable  tents.  Compared 
to  fleas,  bedbugs  are  pets.  Spread  out  a  soldier's  blanket 
and  see  thousands  of  fleas  hopping  from  an  inch  to  a 
foot  high,  enjoying  the  warm  rays  of  the  sun  and  ex- 
ercise, after  a  successful  night  with  a  soldier.     The  two 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  137 

dozen  cats  that  Lieutenant  Heath  brought  from  Fort 
Leavenworth  two  years  before  were  perfect  wrecks;  they 
could  not  digest  mice  enough  to  counteract  the  ravages 
of  fleas,  and  moped  about  utterly  discouraged. 

The  Indians  had  been  gone  a  week,  the  Mexican 
trains  straightened  out  up  the  river,  the  troop  escorting 
them  to  the  Cimarron  crossing  and  two  days  south  of 
it,  returned  to  the  crossing  and  went  up  the  Arkansas 
to  "Big  Timbers"  (Bent's  new  fort),  and  returned  to 
Adkinson,  now  only  heaps  of  broken  sod  leveled  to  the 
ground,  so  that  from  it  the  Indians  could  not  ambush 
mail  carriers,  -express  riders  or  other  small  parties. 

It  was  the  1st  of  October  when  we  left  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  dismantled  fort  to  return  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 
One  day  we  camped  at  the  mouth  of  Coon  Creek,  on 
the  Arkansas,  about  noon.  This  was  "B"  Troop's  bat- 
tle ground,  where  in  the  spring  of  1846  Sergeant  Bishop 
with  twenty  men  recovered  a  herd  of  400  oxen  that  had 
been  stampeded  by  Indians  heretofore  referred  to.  Peel 
explained  to  the  Major  all  the  interesting  features  of 
the  fight. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  a  line  of  high 
bluffs,  craggy  and  abrupt,  with  some  buffalo  trails  lead- 
ing out  on  to  a  narrow  strip  of  bottom  land  between 
the  river  and  the  bluffs.  Buffalo  on  the  south  side  were 
numerous,  and  little  bands  came  out  of  the  bluffs  across 
the  bottom  to  the  river  to  drink.  I  took  Company 
Teamster  Matthews  with  his  saddle  mule  with  me  and 
crossed  over.  When  a  buffalo  had  been  killed  we  were 
to  pack  Matthews'  mule  and  bring  to  camp  all  the  meat 


138  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

ne  could  carry.  After  winding  around  through  the  trails 
in  the  bluffs  for  some  time  I  killed  a  fat  cow  between 
the  bluffs  and  the  river.  We  picketed  our  animals  and 
proceeded  to  prepare  the  meat  for  transportation  to 
camp.  We  were  busy  cutting  up  the  buffalo  when  we 
heard  a  splashing  in  the  water;  looking  up  we  saw  Lieu- 
tenant Hastings  with  half  the  troop  coming  at  a  trot. 
This  trotting  crossing  the  river  meant  urgency,  and  we 
mounted  at  once.  It  was  all  clear  to  me  that  nothing 
less  than  Indians  skulking  after  Matthews  and  myself 
induced  the  rapid  movement  towards  us.  We  joined 
lieutenant  Hastings,  who  said  that  some  Indians  had 
been  seen  watching  us,  and  the  last  seen  of  them  they 
were  creeping  towards  us  through  the  bluffs.  Lieutenant 
Hastings  wanted  to  get  around  them  or  behind  them 
so  they  could  not  escape.  I  showed  him  a  trail  that  I 
thought  might  lead  to  their  rear.  He  left  half  the  men 
to  watch  the  trail  that  the  Indians  were  believed  to  be 
on  while  we  moved  quickly  on  the  trail  that  I  believed 
would  cut  off  their  retreat.  Sure  enough  we  drove  them 
out,  found  them  to  be  Osages.,  four  in  number,  and  did 
some  loud  talking  to  keep  Cuddy,  Cook  and  others  from 
shooting  them  as  they  came  out.  They  professed  all 
sorts  of  friendship,  but.  did  not  succeed  in  convincing 
any  one  but  that  Matthews  and  I  owed  the  safety  of  our 
scalps  to  the  fact  that  they  were  seen  by  a  vedette  near 
camp,  and  the  prompt  action  of  the  troop.  We  finished 
the  buffalo,  loaded  the  mule  with  all  he  could  carry  and 
brought  the  Indians  to  camp.  Major  Chilton  turned 
them  loose  with  a  threat  to  "wipe  the  Osages  off  the 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  13$ 

face  of  the  earth"  if  they  did  not  keep  off  the  traveled 
road  and  leave  white  people  entirely  alone. 

Nothing  of  special  interest  occurred  until  we  reached 
Diamond  Springs,  now  in  Morris  County.  The  weather 
had  heen  frosty  at  night  and  days  sunny — a  continuous 
Indian  summer  all  the  way — grass  dry  as  powder.  We 
had  barely  a  quart  of  corn  per  day  for  each  horse,  and 
they  were  poor.  All  day  we  had  seen  little  bands  of 
Indians  a  mile  or  two  off  the  road  traveling  the  same 
direction  that  we  were  and  apparently  watching  us.  This 
was  the  Kaw  country  and  rrobably  no  other  Indians  were 
there,  and  we  could  hardly  understand  why  they  kept 
aloof  and  watered  our  progress.  Of  course  the  Kaws 
knew  our  troop  bv  the  horses,  and  we  knew  they  had 
no  love  for  it,  but  were  slow  to  believe  they  would  at- 
tempt to  do  us  any  harm.  We  camped  on  high  ground 
a  little  east  of  Diamond  Springs,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  road.  We  had  been  very  careful  of  fire  all  the  way 
in,  and  here  we  were  especially  careful  on  account  of 
the  dense  growth  of  grass  and  consequent  danger  of 
burning  the  camp.  We  had  finished  dinner,  about  two 
hours  before  sunset  when,  as  if  by  one  act,  fire  broke 
out  in  a  circle  all  around  us  not  more  than  a  mile  from 
camp.  A  stiff  gale  was  blowing  from  the  south,  and 
when  we  noticed  it  the  fire  in  the  tall  grass  was  roar- 
ing furiously  and  the  flames  leaping  twenty  feet  high. 
Quickly  we  commenced  firing  outside  of  our  camp,  whip- 
ping out  the  fire  next  to  it,  thereby  burning  a  circle 
around  it.  Every  man  used  a  gunnysack  or  saddle 
blanket  and  worked  with  desperate  energy.     The  utter- 


140  WW  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

destruction  of  our  camp  was  imminent,  and  we  faced 
the  fire  like  men  who  had  everything  at  stake.  Success 
was  ours,  but  the  battle  left  its  scars  on  nearly  all.  I 
have  never  seen  fifteen  minutes  of  such  desperate  work 
followed  by  such  exhaustion  —  scarcely  a  man  could 
speak.  Blinded  by  smoke,  heat  and  ashes,  intuitively 
we  found  our  way  to  the  creek,  bathed  our  burned  hands 
and  faces,  many  of  us  terribly  blistered.  My  hands  and 
face  were  blistered  in  several  places;  my  mustache  and 
whiskers,  the  first  I  had  ever  raised,  were  utterly  ruined; 
even  my  eyebrows  were  badly  scorched.  I  could  not 
wash  on  account  of  the  blisters,  and  dipped  my  face  and 
head  deep  down  into  the  lovely  spring  water  and  held 
my  hands  under  to  relieve  the  pain.  My  experience 
was  that  of  most  of  the  troop.  We  had  quite  a  quan- 
tity of  antelope  tallow,  which  was  warmed  and  gently 
applied  to  our  sores.  Undoubtedly  the  Kaws  had  set 
the  fire  to  burn  us  out,  and  while  they  did  not  quite 
succeed,  if  they  had  seen  us  they  should  have  been  fairly 
well  satisfied.  I  think  that  Major  Chilton  and  Lieuten- 
ant Hastings  were  better  satisfied  with  the  troop  than 
they  had  ever  been  before.  Men  who  could  stand  to- 
gether in  such  a  fight  and  win  could  stand  against  des- 
perate odds  anywhere.  I  was  instructed  to  notify  the 
troop  at  retreat  roll  call  that  we  would  start  at  day- 
light. The  guards  were  doubled,  and  we  rested  as  best 
we  could. 

Just  out  of  camp  we  met  the  sun  squarely  in  the 
face,  but  fortunately  it  soon  became  cloudy,  which  was 
a  great  relief.    At  Council  Grove  we  got  some  corn  from 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  141 

Hays  &  Company  and  went  on  to  Big  John  Spring,  three 
miles  east,  where  we  camped  at  noon. 

Major  Chilton  told  me  to  he  ready  to  go  back  to 
Council  Grove  right  after  dinner.  When  I  asked  if  I 
should  take  any  one  with  me,  he  said,  "No,  you  will  go 
alone."  About  half  past  one  I  reported  myself  with 
horse  saddled  (an  extra  one  which  I  took  to  save  mine). 
He  gave  me  a  sealed  letter  directed  to  myself,  and  told 
me  I  could  read  it  on  the  road  to  save  time.  Inclosed 
in  my  letter  I  found  one  directed  to  Mr.  Hoffaker,  a 
young  man  who  was  school  teacher  of  the  Kaw  Indians, 
requesting  him  to  furnish  me  an  interpreter  which  he 
(the  Major)  had  spoken  of  when  he  came  through  the 
Grove.  My  instructions  were  to  proceed  with  the  inter- 
preter to  the  Kaw  village,  said  to  be  three  miles  down 
the  Neosho  Eiver,  and  there  make  a  demand  of  the 
chief  that  he  have  five  horses,  stolen  the  spring  before 
from  some  "mounted  rifles"  camped  at  Walnut  Creek 
(now  in  Barton  County),  brought  to  his  (Chilton's)  camp 
at  Big  John  Spring. 

Mr.  Hoffaker  had  the  interpreter  ready,  one  Bat- 
teese,  a  Pottawatomie  by  birth,  but  married  to  a  Kaw 
and  living  with  them.  Batteese  talked  good  English  and 
was  quite  intelligent,  but  when  I  told  him  that  I  was 
after  stolen  horses  and  would  make  a  demand  on  the 
chief  he  seemed  reluctant  to  go  or  would  rather  go  with- 
out me  (he  lived  with  the  Kaws  and  was  afraid  to  make 
enemies).  Of  course,  I  could  not  send  him;  my  orders 
were  to  go  myself.  When  we  arrived  at  the  village 
three  miles  down,  we  learned  that  the  chief  was  at  the 


142  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

lower  village,  two  miles  farther  down,  and  there  we 
went.  We  found  the  chief,  whose  name  I  regret  to  have- 
forgotten,  in  a  ronnd  house  built  of  mud  and  willows 
at  the  west  end  of  the  village.  An  Indian  woman  came 
out  as  we  went  to  the  door  and  we  found  the  chief 
alone,  lying  on  a  willow  mattress,  not  feeling  very  well,, 
as  he  told  the  interpreter.  However,  he  was  dressed 
and  talked  pleasantly  in  reply  to  all  I  said.  He  be- 
lieved there  were  some  Government  horses  among  tha 
Kaws  that  some  of  the  young  men  claimed  to  have 
found.  While  we  talked,  Indians  came  in  and  packed 
the  house  full,  and  a  crowd  stood  outside.  Most  of  them 
had  no  arms. 

My  appearance  seemed  to  be  quite  a  source  of 
amusement  for  a  lot  of  young  bucks,  and  they  nodded 
and  chatted  about  me  in  a  merry  way,  and  I  knew  they 
had  reference  to  my  burnt  face  and  bands  tied  up  in 
rags,  and  doubtless  the  scoundrels  who  set  fire  to  the 
grass  were  before  me.  For  some  time  I  had  not  said 
anything;  I  wanted  to  kill  a  lot  of  Kaws;  they  seemed 
to  know  that  I  was  suffering  mentally  as  well  as  phys- 
ically, and  were  amusing  themselves  at  my  expense.  I 
could  see  that  the  chief  was  embarrassed.  He  seemed 
to  be  a  sensible,  good  man,  and  these  thieving  scoun- 
drels were  riding  over  the  country  committing  depre- 
dations and  causing  him  a  lot  of  trouble.  Finallyl  rose 
to  go,  and  told  the  interpreter  to  say  to  the  chief  that 
my  captain  knew  the  Kaws  had  the  five  horses,  and  that 
they  stole  them  from  a  camp  on  Walnut  Creek  last 
spring,  and  that  unless  they  were  delivered  in  camp  at 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  143 

Big  John  Spring  the  troop  would  come  down  and  take 
them.  I  did  not  want  to  offend  the  chief,  but  to  impress 
the  thieves.  I  spoke  in  rather  an  angry  tone,  and  the 
interpreter  hesitated.  I  turned  to  him  abruptly  and  said : 
"Interpret  what  I  say,  quickly,  every  word  of  it."  An 
Indian  about  thirty  years  old,  who  was  known  as  Clark, 
had  been  watching  me  closely,  and  at  this  juncture  he 
spoke  in  plain  English:  "Who  tole  you  I  stole  um 
horses?"  "No  matter/'  said  I,  "who  told  me,  I  know 
you  stole  them,  and  unless  they  are  in  my  camp  by  the 
time  I  get  there  1 11  make  you  sorry  you  did  steal 
them."  I  shook  the  chief's  hand  and  said  "good  by" 
and  came  out  through  the  crowd,  the  interpreter  fol- 
lowing. We  mounted  and  galloped  off.  About  four  or 
five  miles,  mostly  up  Big  John  Creek,  brought  us  to 
camp. 

I  reported  to  Major  Chilton  all  that  had  happened, 
and  wound  up  by  saying  that  I  hoped  my  threat  would 
be  carried  out.  The  interpreter  was  much  agitated,  and 
said  that  he  thought  the  horses  would  be  brought  in  by 
to-morrow.  "To-morrow!"  said  Major  Chilton,  "they'll 
bring  them  to-night,  or  I  '11  teach  them  a  lesson  they  '11 
never  forget,  the  thieving  scoundrels.  I  don't  propose 
to  make  another  campaign  against  the  Kaws  in  winter. 
I  am  here  now,  and  while  I  don't  want  to  hurt  innocent 
men,  half  the  Kaws  ought  to  be  wiped  off  the  face  of 
the  earth,  and  my  men  have  a  mighty  good  excuse  for 
doing  it.  Sergeant  Lowe,  take  twenty  men  and  bring 
the  horses  or  the  chief;  I'll  show  them." 

My  saddle  was  changed  from  the  extra  horse  I  had 
ju- 


144  FiyE  ^'EARS  A.  DRAGOON. 

been  riding  to  my  own,  and  in  a  few  minutes  twenty 
as  good  men  as  ever  roamed  the  plains  were  in  column 
of  twos  on  the  way  with  me  to  the  Indian  camp.  We 
left  our  sabers  in  camp,  they  rattled  too  much,  taking 
our  revolvers  only  and  plenty  of  ammunition.  The  in- 
terpreter was  cautioned  by  the  Major  to  interpret  as  I 
directed  him.  As  I  rode  away  the  Major  cautioned  me 
to  be  prudent,  and  not  hurt  the  chief.  A  low  line  of 
bluffs  or  hills  formed  the  east  bank  of  Big  John  Creek 
to  within  half  a  mile  of  the  chief's  house,  which  was 
at  the  upper  or  west  end  of  this  village.  Before  pass- 
ing this  point  I  halted  and  told  the  men  to  follow  the 
leader  in  each  rank,  pistol  in  hand  but  not  cocked,  to 
keep  their  ears  open  for  orders,  and  to  do  just  what 
they  were  told  and  no  more.  Privately  I  told  Cuddy  I 
would  go  to  the  left  door,  which  was  on  the  east  side, 
and  he  would  go  to  the  right  and  meet  me.  This  part 
I  did  not  want  the  interpreter  to  know,  fearing  that 
he  would  not  go  with  me  if  he  did.  Sergeant  Peel  was 
in  the  rear  of  the  line  behind  Cuddy,  and  Corporal 
Ferguson  in  rear  of  the  line  behind  me;  they  would  see 
that  my  plan  was  carried  out,  good  or  bad.  We  passed 
the  point  at  a  walk,  then  "Trot!"  "Gallop!"  "Charge!" 
came  in  quick  succession. 

I  sprang  from  my  horse  at  the  door  just  as  it  was 
opened  by  the  chief,  who  ran  out  at  the  sound  of  the 
horses'  hoofs.  Cuddy  dismounted  almost  at  the  same 
instant.  I  seized  the  chief  by  the  left  arm  and  Cuddy 
by  his  right,  and  placed  him  on  a  horse  behind  another 
man,  we  mounted   and  were   off   in  less   time   than   it 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  145 

takes  to  tell  it.  The  chief  saw  at  once  that  he  was  a 
prisoner  and  went  willingly.  Instantly  there  was  an  up- 
roar all  over  the  village,  men,  women  and  children  howl- 
ing in  every  style.  The  bucks  rushed  out  with  guns 
and  bows  and  arrows  as  if  to  give  battle.  The  chief 
turned  on  the  horse  and  rode  backward,  gesticulating 
and  talking  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  I  told  the  inter- 
preter that  if  a  shot  was  fired  at  the  dragoons  I  would 
kill  the  chief  and  him  too,  and  impressed  upon  him  the 
importance  of  repeating  this,  which  he  did  vigorously 
and  continually,  and  the  chief  kept  up  his  exhortation 
till  we  were  out  of  reach. 

We  moved  off  at  a  walk  in  extended  line  a  pace 
or  two  apart,  every  man  with  pistol  in  hand  turned  in 
his  saddle  ready  to  shoot,  Ferguson  and  Peel  giving 
strict  attention  to  the  men.  Just  as  we  reached  the 
point  of  bluff  heretofore  referred  to,  a  man  was  seen 
coming  as  fast  ias  his  horse  could  bring  him  riding  bare- 
back. It  was  CFNeil,  and  he  had  been  sent  in  haste  by 
the  Major  to  tell  me  to  return,  that  three  of  the  horses 
had  been  brought  in  >and  the  other  two  promised.  It 
was  too  late,  and  we  took  the  chief  to  camp.  He  was 
one  of  the  Major'is  prisoners  of  January,  1851,  and  they 
shook  hands.  The  chief  was  much  agitated  and  dis- 
tressed.   As  I  made  my  report,  I  felt  sorry  for  him. 

While  the  troop's  verdict  was  a  justification  of  the 
action,  the  more  I  thought  of  it  the  more  I  did  not  feel 
at  all  proud.  Only  for  smarting  from  the  outrage  of 
attempting  to  burn  our  camp  and  the  wounds  from  which 


146  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

we  were  suffering,  we  would  all  have  condemned  it,  and 
I  became  convinced  that  I  had  been  guilty  of  an  out- 
rage on  a  man  who  had  been  guilty  of  no  wrong,  in  order 
to  recover  some  horses  that  had  been  stolen  by  some 
thieves  of  his  tribe.  And  now  came  the  other  two 
horses  and  some  head  men  and  sub-chiefs,  but  none  of 
the  thieving  young  bucks.  A  very  earnest  talk  followed, 
in  which  the  Major  recounted  the  wrongs  they  had  been 
guilty  of,  including  the  attempt  to  burn  his  camp  the 
day  before,  and  promised  them  if  he  had  to  come  from 
Fort  Leavenworth  another  cold  winter  to  look  after 
them  he  would  "wipe  the  young  bucks  off  the  face  of 
the  earth."  And  he  exhorted  the  chiefs  and  head  men 
to  control  the  bad  young  men  in  their  tribe,  if  they  had 
to  kill  them.  This  story  has  been  told  ever  since  the 
occurrence  in  various  forms,  often  greatly  exaggerated. 
The  reckless  element  undoubtedly  predominated  with 
all  of  us  at  that  time.  Smarting  as  we  were,  we  were 
unfit  to  be  trusted  to  deal  out  justice  in  such  a  case. 
Whatever  of  wrong  was  committed  the  blame  was  all 
mine,  and  it  took  me  some  time  to  realize  the  extent 
of  the  outrage  upon  a  harmless  man.  In  camp  and  quar- 
ters men  delighted  to  relate  the  incident,  never  for  a 
moment  dreaming  that  a  wrong  had  been  done;  but 
fifty-three  years  later,  while  few  remember  it  (probably 
I  am  the  only  living  member  of  the  party),  all  false 
pride  has  passed,  and  I  see  nothing  to  be  proud  of  save 
the  faithful  conduct  of  those  who  followed  me.  While 
painfully  smarting  under  the  cowardly  and  treacherous 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  147 

outrage  of  the  day  before,  they  kept  themselves  under 
perfect  discipline  and  self-control.  I  do  not  believe  a 
word  was  spoken  on  our  side  save  by  myself  and 
the  interpreter. 

In  Salt  Creek  Valley,  before  marching  into  Fort 
Leavenworth,  the  Major  made  quite  a  little  talk  to  the 
troop,  recounting  the  hardships  of  the  campaign  and 
the  faithful  and  creditable  service  rendered,  cautioning 
them  to  remember  that  they  were  men  capable  of  he- 
roic acts  and  not  to  brutalize  themselves  with  whiskey, 
but  try  to  keep  up  the  good  name  they  had  so  well  won 
on  the  plains,  at  the  same  time  reminding  them  that  no 
amount  of  service  rendered  would  condone  future  wrong 
doing;  good  behavior  should  be  continuous. 

Few  incidents  worthy  of  note  occurred  during  the 
winter  of  1853  and  1854.  The  traditional  "B"  Troop 
ball  came  off,  routine  of  drills,  etc.  Not  a  man  was 
tried  by  court-martial  during  the  eight  months  we  re- 
mained at  the  post,  except  by  company  court.  One 
night  at  "tattoo,"  as  I  was  calling  the  roll  I  heard  the 
click  of  a  pistol  as  if  being  cocked  in  front  of  me.  It 
was  quite  dark,  but  standing  close  to  a  man  I  could  rec- 
ognize him.  I  stopped  in  the  midst  of  the  roll  call, 
stepped  forward  to  where  I  thought  I  heard  the  noise, 
reached  over  to  the  rear  rank,  seized  a  man,  jerked  him 
out  in  front  of  the  troop  and  caught  his  right  hand  in 
his  pocket  holding  a  cocked  pistol,  which  I  took  from 
him.  All  was  done  so  quickly  that  hardly  any  one  real- 
ized what  was  going  on.  Several  seized  the  man,  and 
I  was  obliged  to  protect  him.    I  sent  him  to  my  orderly 


148  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

room  with  Sergeant  Peel,  finished  the  roll  call  and  dis- 
missed the  troop  after  cautioning  the  men  not  to  allow 
the  incident  to  create  any  excitement,  but  all  go  to  bed 
as  usual.  In  the  orderly  room  the  man  clained  that  he 
bought  the  pistol  (Derringer)  to  shoot  rats  with  and  had 
no  definite  object  in  cocking  it  at  that  time.  He  was 
pretty  drunk,  or  pretended  to  be — an  all  around  bad 
man,  who  had  done  an  unusual  share  of  extra  duty  for 
punishment.  He  had  been  a  good  while  in  the  army, 
and  had  the  reputation  of  having  murdered  a  comrade 
during  the  Mexican  War.  I  let  him  go  and  gave  him 
his  pistol  the  next  day,  at  the  same  time  telling  him 
that  I  believed  him  to  be  at  heart  a  cowardly  murderer. 
I  had  no  doubt  but  that  he  intended  to  shoot  me  as  I 
passed  him  on  the  way  to  my  quarters,  which  I  would  do 
as  soon  as  I  dismissed  the  troop.  He  had  braced  up 
with  whiskey  for  the  act  and  rather  overdid  it.  I  could 
not  prove  that  he  intended  to  murder  me,  and  if  I  sent 
him  to  the  guard  house  the  verdict  would  have  been 
that  I  was  afraid  of  him. 

I  may  as  well  dispose  of  this  man  here.  He  would 
have  deserted,  but  was  anxious  to  go  to  New  Mexico, 
where  he  had  served  before,  and  where  the  troop  and 
regimental  headquarters  were  now  under  orders  to  go. 
And  from  the  happening  of  the  incident  above  related 
he  was  silent,  sullen  and  on  his  good  behavior,  having 
little  companionship  in  the  troop.  It  leaked  out  that 
in  his  drunken  moods  he  had  said  he  would  desert  when 
he  got  to  New  Mexico,  accompanied  with  many  threats. 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAQOON.  149 

He  never  again  gave  me  any  trouble,  but  I  was  keenly 
on  the  lookout  for  him  always. 

When  I  left  the  troop  Corporal  Ferguson  was  made 
first  sergeant.  He  joined  the  year  before  I  did  and  re- 
enlisted  a  vear  before  my  time  expired.  He  was  a  re- 
markable fine  man,  an  Irishman  by  birth,  had  been  clerk 
at  regimental  headquarters  a  good  deal  and  was  familiar 
with  all  company  and  regimental  papers.  •  Up  to  within 
a  year  he  had  never  cared  to  serve  as  a  non-commis- 
sioned officer.  He  had  been  made  corporal  once  before, 
but  resigned.  He  was  a  fine  horseman,  an  excellent  shot, 
a  superior  drill  and  all-around  athlete;  a  man  who  would 
attract  attention  anywhere.  Not  much  given  to  words, 
he  held  a  quiet  control  of  all  around  him  without  an 
effort.  The  last  time  he  was  made  corporal  was  about 
a  year  before  my  discharge,  through  my  influence,  and 
I  held  up  to  him  the  fact  that  Sergeants  Cuddy,  Cook, 
Drummond  and  others  would  not  reenlist,  Peel  would 
not  accept  first  sergeant,  and  the  timber  for  that  place 
in  the  troop  was  scarce,  and  I  had  no  doubt  but  that  he 
would  be  appointed  if  he  would  take  interest  enough 
to  accept  it.  And  he  did  take  interest,  and  showed  so 
plainly  his  superiority  that  the  appointment  came  to 
him  almost  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  troop  and  its 
commander  knew  that  it  was  my  wish,  all  became  edu- 
cated up  to  the  idea  and  expected  it.  And  so  when  I 
was  furloughed  I  left  him  acting  first  sergeant. 

One  night  after  "tattoo"  roll  call  the  man  of  the 
pistol  above  referred  to  plunged  a  knife  into  Ferguson's 
heart,  killing  him  instantly.     By  great  effort  the  mur- 


150  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

derer  was  .saved  from  being  mobbed  by  the  troop;  was 
tried  by  civil  court  and  sentenced  to  hang.  I  have  re- 
frained from  mentioning  the  names  of  men  of  whom  I 
had  to  speak  in  uncomplimentary  terms,  for  the  reason 
that  most  men  have  family  relations  and  friends,  and 
to  mention  them  in  a  way  to  leave  a  stain  upon  their 
character  might  be  unjust  and  is  altogether  unnecessary, 
and  most  men  who  have  come  under  my  observation 
in  the  army  and  on  campaigns  pulled  out  in  fair  shape 
and  led  good  lives,  many  of  them  raising  families  after- 
wards. But  this  murderer  had  no  friends  on  earth  that 
his  comrades  ever  heard  of,  and  sure  I  am  that  he  had 
no  family  near  or  remote  to  weep  over  his  crimes.  His 
name  was  Jackson,  and  it  is  but  just  to  his  comrades 
that  no  mistakes  be  made  in  the  name. 

Sergeants  Cuddy,  Cook  and  Drummond  were  dis- 
charged towards  the  last  of  the  year  1853,  and  new  non- 
commissioned officers  took  their  places.  All  three  were 
employed  by  the  quartermaster,  and  the  following  spring 
Cook  and  Cuddy  went  with  Colonel  Steptoe's  command, 
the  former  as  wagonmaster  and  the  latter  in  charge  of 
strings  of  lead  horses  to  Salt  Lake  the  first  year  (1854), 
wintering  there  and  going  through  to  California  the  fol- 
lowing season. 

When  Walker  went  on  his  filibustering  expedition 
to  Nicaragua,  Cook  served  as  a  captain  in  his  command, 
escaped  when  Walker  was  executed,  came  back  to  San 
Francisco  and  died  in  poverty.  He  was  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia,  had  been  a  sailor,  and  I  never  knew  a  stauncher, 
braver  man. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  151 

Cuddy  was  a  shrewd  man,  with  money-making  ten- 
dencies, dropped  into  the  cattle  ranch  business  in  Cal- 
ifornia, married  a  Spanish  woman  with  large  Spanish 
grant,  cattle  and  horses,  and  the  last  I  heard  of  him  he 
was  raising  a  good  family. 

Eussell,  CPMeara,  McDonald,  Bostwick  and  others 
were  also  discharged  and  went  their  various  ways — Eus- 
sell to  setting  type  on  the  Missouri  Republican;  Bost- 
wick, the  farrier,  married  a  wife  and  farm  in  Clinton 
County,  Missouri,  and  was  killed  at  Vicksburg  in  1862, 
while  a  major  in  the  Confederate  army.  O'Meara  de- 
clared he  had  money  enough  to  take  him  back  to  the 
"Old  Dart,"  and  he  was  going  there.  I  will  have  occa- 
sion to  mention  McDonald  later. 

Becruits  came  from  Carlisle  before  the  close  of  nav- 
igation on  the  Missouri. 

The  Major  applied  for  and  was  given  authority  to 
purchase  twenty-five  horses  for  his  troop,  subject  to 
his  own  inspection,  and  made  an  arrangement  with  a 
Mr.  Calvert,  of  Weston,  to  furnish  them.  Two  or  three 
times  at  evening  stables  the  Major  pointed  out  to  Mr. 
Calvert  the  kind  of  horses  he  wanted,  the  models  that 
suited  him  best,  all  to  be  sorrels  of  solid  color — chest- 
nut or  red  sorrels  would  do,  but  no  light  colored  ones, 
no  white  noses — white  feet  not  absolutely  barred,  but 
unless  exceptionally  sound  would  be  rejected.  Sound 
feet,  flat,  sinewy  legs,  sound  hocks  and  knees,  arms  and 
quarters  well  muscled,  short,  sinewy  back,  high  withers, 
rangy  neck,  bony  head,  bold  eye — no  "hog  eyes" — fine 
ear,  deep  chest,  plenty  of  room  to  carry  his  forage,  five 


152  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

to  seven  years  old,  fifteen  to  sixteen  hands,  preferably 
fifteen  and  a  half,  all  natural  trotters  and  well  broken 
to  saddle — about  filled  the  Major's  idea,  reserving  the 
right  to  reject  any  of  them  for  any  reason  satisfactory 
to  himself.  The  quartermaster  paid  for  the  horses  on 
the  Major's  order.  They  came  in  fine  shape,  were  put 
in  our  stables,  and  thoroughly  tried  before  being  re- 
ceived. They  were  a  fine  lot  and  the  deal  satisfactory 
all  around.  The  old  and  least  serviceable  of  the  troop 
horses  were  turned  over  to  the  quartermaster  to  make 
room  for  the  new  ones,  and  mine  was  one  of  them.  I 
saw  him  sold  at  auction  to  a  Missouri  farmer  for  $50.00 
and  requested  him  to  see  that  the  horse  was  well  cared 
for,  which  he  promised  to  do,  told  me  where  he  lived, 
and  invited  me  to  see  him,  which  I  did  two  years  later, 
dined  with  him  and  told  him  and  his  wife  the  horse's 
history.  His  wife  was  riding  him  in  her  visits  about  the 
neighborhood,  and  she  declared  that  he  should  never  da 
any  other  kind  of  work.  In  those  days  everybody  rode 
horseback.  A  few  wealthy  people  had  old-fashioned,, 
roomy  carriages  for  use  on  special  occasions,  but  every 
man  and  woman,  boy  and  girl,  generally  rode  horseback. 
I  had  the  choice  of  the  new  lot  of  horses,  and  chose 
a  deep  chestnut,  without  a  white  spot,  sixteen  hands,  fine 
from  ear  to  hoof,  a  little  nervous,  but  had  not  been, 
spoiled,  and  soon  became  a  great  pet.  And  now  came 
the  task  of  adjusting  this  fine  lot  of  horses  so  as  to  make 
the  best  use  of  them.  It  was  an  ironclad  rule  that  ev- 
ery man  must  be  gentle  with  his  horse.  Abusing  a  horse 
was  the  unpardonable  sin.     Peevishness,  kicking,  jerk- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  153 

ing,  swearing  at,  unnecessary  spurring  or  violence  of 
any  kind  would  not  be  permitted  to  go  unpunished,  and 
non-commissioned  officers  were  sure  to  report  any  in- 
fraction of  the  rule.  Everything  must  be  done  for  the 
comfort  of  the  horse.  The  non-commissioned  officers 
who  wanted  to  change  old  horses  for  new  did  so,  and 
then  came  the  privates  with  the  least  serviceable  horses. 
If,  after  assignment,  a  horse  was  found  unsuited  to  the 
man  or  the  man  to  the  horse  a  change  was  made,  wheth- 
er the  man  liked  it  or  not,  be  he  non-commissioned  offi- 
cer or  private,  and  from  first  to  last,  whatever  would 
add  to  tlie  efficiency  of  the  troop  was  done,  whether  in 
drilling  horses  or  men.  Within  five  miles  of  the  flag- 
staff west  of  the  river  there  was  not  a  nook  or  corner 
that  we  did  not  drill  over,  giving  strict  attention  to  the 
skirmish  drill. 

I  have  heretofore  not  mentioned  the  manner  of 
feeding  our  horses;  they  were  always  watered  before 
feeding.  Prairie  hay  was  used — there  was  no  other  in 
the  country  at  that  time — and  there  was  no  letter  "rough- 
ness" for  horses.  Ear  corn  was  the  kind  of  grain  always 
used  in  garrison.  One  can  easily  see  whether  corn  on 
the  cob  is  sound  or  unsound.  Shelled  corn  might  be 
musty  or  some  bad  corn  mixed  with  it  and  none  but 
an  expert  could  tell,  while  any  man  would  know  a  sound 
ear  of  corn;  and  more  than  that,  horses  do  not  eat  ear 
corn  so  fast ;  they  like  to  bite  it  from  the  cob — masticate, 
relish  and  digest  it  better.  Of  course  on  the  plains  one 
must  use  shelled  corn,  but  in  garrison,  in  a  corn  growing 
country,  there  is  no  feed  equal  to  ear  corn  and  prairie: 


154  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

hay.  I  know  that  now  there  is  a  great  habit  of  feeding 
oats  to  cavalry  horses;  farmers,  teamsters  and  livery  men 
did  that  in  the  Northern  States  when  I  was  a  boy;  it  was 
the  best  feed  they  had  and  oats  were  nearly  always  well 
cured  and  free  from  must  and  dust,  and  they  did  not 
raise  corn  as  they  do  in  the  West.  Here  oats  do  not  do 
as  well  as  in  New  England  or  Canada,  are  not  so  easily 
cured,  and  are  often  both  musty  and  dusty,  and  as  a 
rule  chaffy  and  light,  with  little  nutriment  compared  to 
Northern  oats.  Corn  is  the  cleanest  and  best  feed;  there 
is  nothing  equal  to  it  for  strengthening  or  fattening  man 
or  beast.  Barley  and  wheat  are  good  feed  where  corn  is 
not  raised,  but  where  it  grows  in  abundance  there  is  noth- 
ing equal  to  corn;  for  man,  for  horses  and  mules,  for  cat- 
tle, for  hogs,  for  fowls,  it  is  the  king  of  products  to  make 
muscle  and  fat.  The  Southern  planters  fed  corn  and 
bacon  to  the  negroes  because  it  made  them  strong  and 
healthy;  they  fed  corn  to  their  plantation  mules  for  the 
same  reason.  At  the  salt  mines  in  the  Island  of  Bonair 
the  strongest  negro  men  and  women  I  ever  saw  were  al- 
lowed a  bushel  of  corn  a  month  and  no  other  food  except 
some  fish  that  they  could  catch  occasionally.  They  could 
parch  the  corn,  grind  it  between  two  rocks,  or  eat  it  with- 
out cooking— no  mills  to  grind  it  with;  'twas  corn  that 
made  them  big  and  strong.  Probably  this  has  nothing 
to  do  with  cavalry  horses,  but  all  the  same  I  have  never 
seen  better  or  more  enduring  ones  than  were  in  "B" 
Troop,  and  prairie  hay,  corn  and  good  care  made  them 
what  they  were.  The  nutriment  in  prairie  hay  does  not 
equal  that  in  timothy,  clover  or  alfalfa  when  well  cured, 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  155 

but  it  is  much  easier  cured;  the  nutriment  is  in  sound 
ear  corn. 

As  heretofore  stated,  the  man  who  was  the  instigator 
of  the  fire  in  Cuddy's  orderly  room  deserted,  and  with 
his  wife  stayed  about  Weston.  His  occupation  was  "re- 
cruiting deserters" ;  that  is,  he  would  find  men  with  mon- 
ey after  pay  day,  persuade  them  to  desert  if  he  could, 
and  often  robbed  them.  One  Sunday  I  tried  to  capture 
him  but  he  escaped  on  horseback  while  I  was  hunting 
him.  I  found  the  shanty  where  he  lived  with  an  ill-as- 
sorted set  of  vagabonds  in  a  little  corn-field,  and  repre- 
sented to  Major  Chilton  that  a  dozen  men  could  surround 
it  and  effect  his  arest.  The  next  Sunday  Lieutenant 
Hastings  and  a  dozen  men,  including  Sergeant  Peel,  went 
over  to  Weston,  surrounded  the  house,  half  the  men  dis- 
mounting and  hunting  through  corn  shocks.  Out  of  a 
shock  ran  the  man  into  the  house,  with  Peel  after  him. 
Peel  searched  thoroughly  in  vain.  A  man  and  half  a 
dozen  women,  including  the  deserter's  wife,  were  sitting 
at  a  table  apparently  in  the  act  of  commencing  to  eat 
dinner.  'Twas  when  big  hoop  skirts  were  worn,  and  be- 
ing a  small  man  Peel  felt  sure  that  he  was  under  his 
wife's  skirts  and  a  blanket  thrown  round  her  lap  and  feet, 
told  her  so,  and  declared  that  he  would  have  him  if  he 
had  to  go  under  her  skirts.  At  this  juncture  Lieutenant 
Hastings  rode  up  and  called  Peel  out,  told  him  he  had 
no  right  to  enter  and  hunt  through  a  man's  house  with- 
out a  search  warrant,  which  he  did  not  have,  and  now 
that  he  had  laid  himself  liable  to  arrest  they  must  mount 
and  get  across  the  river,  which  they  did.     It  was  under- 


156  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

stood  that  an  indictment  was  fonnd  against  Peel,  and  af- 
ter that  he  kept  away  from  Weston.  A  month  later  the 
man  gave  himself  up,  a  consumptive  wreck,  and  died  soon 
after.  He  confessed  that  he  was  under  his  wife's  skirts 
when  Peel  was  after  him. 

In  March,  1854,  I  was  made  a  Mason  in  the  Weston 
lodge  and  took  the  first  three  degrees.  I  have  seen  some- 
thing of  masonic  lodges  since  that  time,  hut  have  never 
seen  a  finer  set  of  men  or  brighter  Masons  than  that 
lodge  contained.  "Old  Jimmy"  Miller  was  the  secretary 
and  "father"  of  the  lodge,  and  Perry  Wallingford  con- 
ferred the  degrees  in  a  manner  that  the  "novice"  could 
never  forget.  One  night  every  week,  when  it  was  con- 
venient for  me  to  he  absent,  I  spent  in  Weston  and  at- 
tended the  lodge.  I  asked  the  captain's  permission  to 
ride  over  to  Weston  in  the  evening  and  back  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  it  was  cheerfully  given. 

And  now  the  time  was  approaching  for  the  annual 
campaign.  Headquarters,  staff  and  band  and  "B"  and 
"D"  Troops  were  ordered  to  New  Mexico  and  would  leave 
about  the  first  of  July.  Brydon  reenlisted  and  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  band.  He  was  getting  old,  and  settled 
down  to  the  fact  that  the  best  way  to  provide  for  old  age 
was  to  go  to  the  Soldiers'  Home  in  Washington.  The 
Government  had  just  commenced  to  collect  12^  cents 
per  month  from  each  soldier  for  its  support.  While  re- 
gretting to  part  with  him  I  encouraged  him  to  take  the 
step,  for,  old  and  out  of  the  army,  he  would  be  helpless. 
He  was  the  only  man  who  had  shared  my  tent  for  the 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


157 


last  two  years,  except  on  a  few  emergencies,  and  had 
T^een  my  constant  friend  since  we  joined  the  troop. 

Towards  the  last  of  May  "D"  Troop,  Captain  John 
Adams,  came  from  Fort  Snelling  by  steamboat  and  camp- 
ed on  the  f<rblue  grass,"  a  little  southwest  of  where  is  now 
"Merritt"  Lake,  and  the  month  of  June  was  a  busy  one 
for  every  one  preparing  for  a  move  that  admitted  of  no 
return  for  probably  some  years. 


PART   IV. 

ON  THE  second  day  of  July,  1854,  headquarters 
First  Dragoons,  "B"  and  "D"  Troops,  with  a  large 
number  of  army  officers,  some  families,  a  large  supply 
train  and  600  extra  horses  led  on  strings  of  about  forty 
horses  each,  left  Fort  Leavenworth  for  Fort  Union,  New 
Mexico,  Colonel  Thomas  T.  Fauntleroy  commanding. 

From  start  to  finish,  the  two  troops  alternated  daily 
in  front  and  rear  guard.  During  my  experience  I  had 
never  campaigned  with  another  troop,  hence  did  not 
know  very  much  about  the  management  of  other  troops 
on  the  plains  and  I  learned  to  think  "B"  nearly  as  per- 
fect as  the  conditions  permitted.  I  was  as  proud  of  it  as 
I  ever  have  been  of  anything  under  my  immediate  charge. 
On  every  hand  the  troop  attracted  attention — the  manner 
of  marching,  care  taken  of  their  horses,  appearance  of 
horses  and  men,  the  short  time  necessary  to  put  up  their 
tents,  and  the  lightning  speed  with  which  they  were 
struck,  folded  and  loaded  in  the  wagons,  the  neatness 
and  dispatch  in  everything,  and  the  quietness  and  lack 
of  confusion  on  every  hand,  seemed  a  wonder  to  many  of 
the  officers  of  long  experience.  There  was  no  special 
effort  on  this  trip  more  than  on  others,  but  somehow  we 
were  settled  down  to  one  way  of  doing — a  uniformity  of 
thought  and  action — changes  were  few  and  only  when 
circumstances  forced   them.     Officers  and   non-commis- 

158 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  159 

sioned  officers  did  not  have  to  reiterate  from  day  to  day 
and  from  camp  to  camp,  for  no  man  could  plead  ignor- 
ance of  a  general  routine,  hence  there  was  little  friction; 
the  men  had  grown  into  the  habit  of  taking  pride  in  do- 
ing everything,  having  "some  style  about  them,"  as  Mc- 
Donald used  to  say,  and  every  man  had  grown  to  know 
that  he  must  do  his  share  cheerfully,  all  working  togeth- 
er for.Hhe  general  good. 

"D"  Troop  was  composed  of  a  fine  lot  of  men  and 
drilled  well,  but  they  had  been  stationed  for  some  years 
at  Fort  Snelling,  and  did  not  have  the  long  summer  cam- 
paigns that  B  had,  and  for  that  reason  were  not  up  to 
the  daily  routine  of  making  themselves  comfortable. 
Most  of  the  men  were  comparatively  new  to  campaigning, 
and  while  fine  garrison  soldiers,  had  much  to  learn  and 
to  suffer  before  they  could  hope  to  compete  with  men 
who  had  traveled  from  1,500  to  3,000  miles  every  sum- 
mer, always  in  an  Indian  country,  always  on  the  alert  and 
obliged  to  move  with  little  transportation,  little  or  no 
forage  save  the  grass  that  grew  in  abundance  everywhere, 
and  with  short  rations,  depending  largely  on  game  which 
was  also  generally  abundant.  Of  course,  more  or  less 
recruits  were  received  every  winter  (generally  fore  part 
of  winter)  from  Carlisle  Barracks  to  replace  those  dis- 
charged, etc.  These  recruits  had  special  attention  in 
drill,  and  imagined  they  were  full  fledged  soldiers  by 
the  time  we  went  on  the  plains,  but  soon  found  that  half 
was  not  learned. 

A  good  deal  can  be  done  to  discipline  men  in  garri- 
son; but  in  the  field,  on  the  march,  in  bivouac  under  the 
li- 


tm    v.? 


'.4  *jr*«*z 


■*<^3& 


^m^W'JN^m 


^Mg£& 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  \Q\ 

blue  sky,  in  storms,  cold  and  heat,  on  the  trail,  caring 
for  self  and  horses,  with  always  a  helping  hand  for  com- 
rades, bearing  cheerfully  every  hardship,  —  there  was 
where  the  thorough  dragoon  was  made,  and  a  man  in  his 
first  year's  service  was  not  worth  half  as  much  as  in  after 
years.  This  applies  to  a  troop  where  three-fourths  of 
the  men  were  "old  soldiers,"  which  includes  all  men  after 
the  first  year.  This  being  true,  how  about  a  troop  or 
company  where  there  is  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  who 
have  seen  service  before?  Take  the  experience  of  any 
man  who  has  served  in  the  regulars  and  volunteers.  See 
the  amount  of  sickness  in  the  latter  compared  to  the 
former;  see  the  difference  between  strict  discipline  and 
the  reverse;  see  the  comfort  of  one  against  the  suffering 
of  the  other  under  trying  circumstances;  see  the  differ- 
ence, between  men  who  accept  their  instructions  as  iron- 
clad law,  never  doubting  the  correctness  thereof,  and 
men  who  argue  the  point  in  their  minds,  if  not  aloud, 
the  instructor  himself  in  doubt,  lacking  confidence  in 
himself  and  the  men  he  addresses — "the  blind  leading 
the  blind/'  To  hear  the  rabble,  and  politicians  in  par- 
ticular, talk  of  how  "our  brave  volunteers"  performed 
such  and  such  feats  in  battle,  one  would  think  the  regu- 
lar army  did  not  amount  to  anything,  and  were  only  a 
stumbling  block  in  the  way  of  the  "gallant  men"  of  this 
or  that  State.  Who  ever  doubted  the  courage  of  any  re- 
spectable American — the  peer  of  any  man  on  earth? 
Surely,  not  I.  But  how  can  a  man  know  anything  un- 
til he  has  learned  it?  Is  there  any  sense  in  marching 
young  men,  after  a  few  months  of  camp  life,  into  battle 


162  FITE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

against  disciplined  troops?  It  won't  do  to  tell  us  they 
are  brave.  Who  doubted  that?  The  fact  that  he  is 
brave  does  not  make  his  adversary  less  brave  nor  his  aim 
less  accurate.  To  stand  up  and  receive  the  death  blow 
because  too  ignorant  to  avoid  it,  may  be  admirable,  but 
it  is  pitiable,  and  no  credit  to  the  nation  that  places  men 
in  such  a  position.  No  country  on  earth  has  superior 
material  for  soldiers,  but  it  is  no  credit  to  the  United 
States  to  expect  this  material  to  be  transformed  from 
peaceful  pursuits  to  military  experts  in  a  few  months  to 
meet  the  stern  necessities  of  battle. 

Some  one  may  point  to  the  performance  of  the  First 
Volunteer  Cavalry  ("Bough  Eiders")  at  Santiago  to  prove 
that  the  very  best  work  was  done  by  that  regiment.  Such 
comparison  is  no  criterion.  Nine-tenths  of  them  were 
men  who  had  lived  for  years  in  the  field,  in  the  moun- 
tains, on  the  plains,  accustomed  for  years  to  Indian  war- 
fare; the  best  shots  and  the  best  horsemen  in  the  world; 
accustomed  to  follow  the  trail  and  protect  themselves 
and  their  property  everywhere.  Turned  loose  anywhere, 
singly  or  in  squads,  they  were  self-supporting.  Even 
that  portion  of  the  regiment  which  came  from  the  col- 
leges and  society  circles  of  New  York  were  remarkable 
for  athletic  accomplishments  of  all  kinds,  including  tar- 
get practice.  Probably  there  is  not  on  record  an  organi- 
zation of  similar  numbers  where  each  individual  was  so 
nearly  self-made  and  self-reliant  as  this.  The  Colonel 
had  -distinguished  himself  as  an  Indian  follower  and 
fighter  in  the  regular  army  in  Arizona  and  Mexico  as 
few  men  ever  did,  and  the  Lieutenant  Colonel  from  boy- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  IQ% 

hood  up  had  trained  himself  in  every  line  of  athletics; 
had  ranched  with  the  cowboys  of  Dakota,  Wyoming  and 
Montana,  and  was  the  champion  hunter  of  big  game  in 
the  United  States.  In  his  experience  in  public  life  he 
had  learned  human  nature  in  every  grade,  and  above  all, 
at  the  age  of  most  complete  manhood — not  too  old  for 
strength  and  energy  nor  too  young  for  mature  judgment 
— had  learned  self-control  and  the  management  of  men. 
With  their  superb  courage  and  patriotism,  no  wonder 
Colonel  Wood  and  Lieuteuant  Colonel  Roosevelt  led 
that  magnificent  band  of  men,  equal  to  those  who  died 
with  Crockett  at  the  Alamo,  to  glorious  victory.  It  will 
not  do  to  compare  this  regiment  with  average  volunteers. 
Every  man  was  a  soldier,  tried  in  a  school  than  which 
there  is  no  better  in  America.  But  the  officers  and  men 
of  this  regiment  will  ever  stand  in  respectful  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  grand  old  regulars,  who  were  shoulder 
to  shoulder  with  them,  and  without  which  there  would 
have  been  few  of  the  "Rough  Riders"  left  to  tell  the  tale. 
Dogged,  stubborn  discipline  came  in  time  to  mingle 
with  desperate  gallantry  at  the  crucial  moment.  Young 
America,  I  honor  your  courage  and  manhood,  but  keep 
your  eye  on  the  regulars,  and  when  you  want  to  be  .1 
soldier  enlist  in  a  good  company,  in  a  good  regiment,  and 
go  to  a  home  where  order  and  decency  prevail,  and  every 
well  behaved  man  finds  peace  and  comfort. 

Of  course  there  was  the  usual  confusion  of  starting 
a  big  caravan  on  a  long  journey,  but  things  improved 
from  day  to  day.  Our  troop  had  easy  times  compared 
to   other   organizations.     After  passing   Council    Grove, 


154  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

guards  were  doubled,  as  they  always  were  on  the  route 
west,  always  expecting  depredations  of  some  kind  from 
the  Indians  if  the  utmost  vigilance  was  not  maintained* 
On  Coon  Greek,  now  in  Edwards  County,  we  met 
Kiowa  Indians  in  great  numbers,  mounted  on  fine  horses. 
They  cavorted  about  us,  saucy,  insolent  and  defiant,  in 
fact  it  looked  like  trouble  was  inevitable.  "B"  was  ad- 
vance guard,  and  as  we. were  strung  out  on  the  road,  "D" 
was  more  than  two  miles  in  rear.  Our  horses  on  strings 
were  a  great  temptation  to  the  Indians,  and  they  could 
have  charged  in  and  stampeded  the  whole  lot  with  little 
loss  to  themselves.  Colonel  Fauntleroy  was  riding  with 
Major  Chilton  and  other  officers  ahead  of  me,  as  I  rode 
at  the  head  of  the  troop,  and  I  heard  the  conversation. 
I  saw  that  the  Colonel  and  the  Major  were  disagreeing, 
and  finally  the  Major  lost  his  temper  and  said  with  some 
spirit,  "Well,  if  I  were  in  command  I  would  corral  these 
trains  and  horses  and  wipe  these  Kiowas  off  the  face  of 
the  earth;  this  is  no  way  to  deal  with  Indians."  In 
answer  the  Colonel  ordered  the  Major  in  arrest  and  to 
the  rear.  The  Major  turned,  his  eyes  flashing,  his  brist- 
ling mustache  looking  unusually  fierce,  and  rode  to  the 
rear.  He  had  taken  his  last  ride  in  front  of  his  troop. 
Lieutenant  Hastings  was  detached  from  the  troop,  acting 
commissary  officer,  hence,  when  the  Major  was  arrested 
there  was  no  officer  left  in  command  of  it.  The  Major 
had  been  consulted  all  along  about  camps,  and  had 
been  of  great  service.  Immediately  after  his  arrest,  the 
Colonel  called  me  and  said  he  wanted  to  go  into  campi 
It  was  about  11  o'clock.     I  told  him  he  could  not  find  a 


Al-le-ga-wa-bo 


Famous    Kaw  Chiefs. 


Kah-he-ga-wa-ti-an-gah,  known  as  the  "Fool  Chief." 


Wah-  i-an-gah. 


166  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

better  camp  than  about  where  he  was,  where  the  town  of 
Kinsley  now  is,  and  at  his  order  I  rode  off  to  assist  the 
quartermaster,  Captain  Mastin,  to  arrange  the  camp.  To 
the  troop  I  gave  the  order,  "Dismount!  Graze  your 
horses!"  The  Colonel  looked  surprised,  but  said  nothing. 
I  was  carrying  out  a  standing  rule  to  rest  and  graze  the 
horses  at  every  opportunity.  I  was  an  hour  with  the 
quartermaster,  during  which  time  the  troop  were  enjoy- 
ing the  finest  grass  on  the  plains. 

This  camp  was  made  more  compact  than  any  we  had 
heretofore,  and  the  guard  considerably  strengthened.  It 
was  but  a  few  miles  from  the  old  battle  ground. 

I  reported  to  the  Major  after  retreat  and  guard 
mount  for  any  suggestions  he  might  desire  to  make. 
Evidently  he  felt  chagrined  at  the  position  he  was  placed 
in,  and  anxious  that  whatever  happened  his  troop  should 
not  be  found  wanting.  While  we  were  talking,  Lieuten- 
ant Robert  Williams  called  and  stated  to  the  Major  that 
he  had  been  detailed  to  take  command  of  his  troop.  He 
had  called  to  pay  his  respects  and  to  learn  from  the  Major 
anything  he  desired  to  impart  concerning  it.  The  Major 
thanked  him  and  said  about  as  follows:  "This  is  Ser- 
geant Lowe,  Lieutenant  Williams.  He  has  been  first 
sergeant  more  than  two  years,  knows  all  about  the  troop, 
and  will  certainly  serve  under  you  as  faithfully  and  cheer- 
fully as  he  has  under  me.  I  congratulate  you  on  being 
detailed  to  command  my  troop.  You  will  not  be  likely 
to  have  any  trouble  with  it."  Lieutenant  Williams  com- 
manded the  troop  two  days,  when  Lieutenant  Hastings 
took  command.    Lieutenant  Williams  was  one  of  the  best 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  167 

specimens  of  manhood  I  ever  met.  Nothing  ruffled  the 
even  tenor  of  his  ways;  he  always  spoke  in  the  same 
gentle  tone,  the  same  perfect  English,  in  the  same  refined 
manner.  I  conceived  a  friendship  for  him  that  a  more 
intimate  acquaintance  in  future  years  increased  to  ad- 
miration. He  was  one  of  the  most  refined  and  noble 
character  I  ever  knew.  His  military  service  ended 
with  his  retirement  as  Adjutant-General  of  the  Army 
in  1S9?  on  account  of  age. 

On  leaving  the  Coon  Creek  camp  we  moved  out  in 
double  column,  troops  traveling  by  fours,  wagons  and 
horse  strings  two  abreast.  The  rear  guard  furnished  a 
line  of  vedettes  along  the  bluffs,  and  orders  were  strict 
to  keep  everything  closed  up.  A  few  days  later  we  crossed 
the  Arkansas  at  Cimarron  Crossing,  thirty  miles  above 
where  now  stands  Dodge  City,  and  camped  on  the  south 
bank.  We  seemed  to  have  left  the  Indians  all  behind, 
twenty  miles  below,  and  the  talk  that  the  Colonel  had 
with  them  the  evening  before  indicated  no  trouble. 

The  camp  was  west  of  the  road,  extending  up  the 
river  fully  a  mile.  "D"  Troop  was  at  the  upper  end 
(west);  "B"  was  rear  guard  that  day  and  camped  just 
west  of  the  road,  forming  the  left  flank  of  the  camp, 
the  wagon  train,  except  headquarters,  company  and  offi- 
cers' transportation,  was  well  to  the  front  (south),  away 
from  the  river,  and  the  horse  strings  immediately  in 
rear,  while  headquarters,  officers'  families,  etc.,  were 
strung  along  the  bank  of  the  river  between  the  two  troops. 
A  bend  in  the  river  where  "B"  Troop  was,  threw  it  north 
of   the   east   and  west  line   of  the   other   camps.     The 


16S  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

ground  occupied  by  the  supply  train,  the  horse  strings 
and  "D"  Troop  was  sandy  and  treacherous.  Picket  pins 
went  down  easily  and  were  easily  withdrawn.  Our  camp 
occupied  firmer  ground,  and  with  care  we  made  our 
horses  perfectly  safe,  knowing  well  the  terrors  of  the 
stampede,  taking  in  the  treacherous  nature  of  the  ground 
occupied  by  all  except  us,  and  the  fearful  effects  of  hun- 
dreds of  animals  with  lariats  and  flying  picket  pins 
sweeping  over  our  camp.  We  hugged  the  bank  of  the 
river  below  the  bend  closely,  occupying  as  little  room 
with  tents  and  the  two  company  wagons  as  possible,  and 
arranging  horses  so  that  a  direct  stampede  east  would 
pass  them.  In  other  words,  a  stampede  would  have  to 
come  around  the  bend  to  strike  any  part  of  our  camp. 
It  was  noticed  by  all  of  our  troop  that  the  600  led 
horses  were  always  badly  picketed;  that  is,  picket  pins 
driven  half  way  down  and  in  many  cases  two  or  three 
lariats  tied  to  one  pin.  A  stampede  had  been  feared 
by  all  of  us.  The  man  in  charge  of  the  horse  strings 
was  very  ill  most  of  the  time,  and  each  man  in  charge 
of  a  string  of  horses  seemed  to  have  no  conception  of 
the  crash  that  was  sure  to  come  sooner  or  later.  "D" 
Troop  did  little  better  than  the  horse  strings  and  "W 
was  spurred  up  by  me  and  other  non-commissioned  offi- 
cers to  see  that  every  picket  pin  was  securely  driven 
in  the  best  ground.  I  have  seen  men  stick  their  picket 
pins  in  an  ant  hill  because  it  went  down  easily.  Such 
a  thing  in  our  troop,  or  the  fact  that  a  horse  got  loose 
in  any  way,  unless  proven  to  be  no  fault  of  the  rider, 
would   insure   his   walking   and    carrying   his    arms    the 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  169 

next  day.  Carelessness  in  picketing  horses  would  not 
be  condoned  on  this  or  any  other  trip  that  we  ever 
made.  A  stampede  was  the  terror  of  terrors  on  the 
plains,  and  this  location  was  like  camping  on  a  volcano 
liable  to  erupt  at  any  moment. 

It  was  a  perfectly  bright,  starlit  night,  and  peace 
seemed  to  reign  from  end  to  end  of  the  camp.  Visit- 
ing was  general  among  the  officers,  and  a  feeling  of 
safety  prevailed,  now  that  we  seemed  to  be  clear  of 
trouble  with  Indians.  A  little  before  nine  o'clock  the 
earth  seemed  to  tremble  as  if  in  the  violent  throes  of 
an  earthquake.  Like  a  whirlwind  a  stampede  commenced 
with  "D"  Troop  horses,  rushing  down  through  the  ex- 
tra or  "led"  horses  and  on  through  the  mules,  sweeping 
everything  before  it,  barely  missing  officers  and  B  Troop 
camp.  On  they  went  a  little  south  of  east  down  the 
river,  in  the  mad  rush  trampling  everything  under  foot, 
upsetting  and  breaking  a  dozen  six-mule  wagons  by 
catching  picket  pins  in  the  wheels  as  the  moving  mass 
rushed  on;  picket  pins  whizzing  in  the  air  struck  an  ob- 
ject and  bounded  forward  like  flying  lances.  To  con- 
dense: "D"  Troop  lost  two-thirds  of  their  horses.  All 
the  string  horses  (600)  and  600  mules,  besides  some 
private  animals,  were  in  the  mad  rush  of  destruction. 
One  "B"  Troop  horse,  an  extra,  succeeded  in  joining 
the  gang.  Eealizing  the  full  meaning  of  the  terrible 
calamity,  I  ordered  "boots  and  saddles,"  and  when  Lieu- 
Tenant  Hastings,  who  was  visiting  some  officers,  arrived, 
the  troop  was  ready  to  mount.  The  quartermaster  ser- 
geant was  left  in  charge  of  the  camp  with  a  cook  an;! 


170 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


bugler.  Lieutenant  Hastings  rode  over  to  headquarters 
and  reported.  Beturning  immediately,  we  mounted,  and 
were  off  in  the  direction  of  the  stampede.  A  few  young 
officers  en  route  to  join  their  troop  in  New  Mexico,  and 
who  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  their  horses  down 
near  the  river  out  of  the  line  of  the  stampede,  mounted 
and  struck  out. 


"Pioneer  Store"  on  the  Trail. 

The  stampede  was  a  mystery  at  headquarters,  one 
opinion  being  that  it  was  caused  by  Indians,  another 
that  wolves  had  frightened  some  horses  and  they  had 
started  all  the  others.  There  was  more  experience  in 
"B"  Troop  than  in  the  balance  of  the  command,  and 
the  conclusion  was  that  it  would  be  no  trouble  to  bring 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  \fl 

about  a  stampede  from  either  cause.  One  Indian  in  a 
wolf  skin  might  have  done  it,  or  one  horse  frightened 
at  anything  running  the  length  of  his  lariat  and  scar- 
ing a  few  more  might  bring  about  the  whole  thing.  We 
'did  not  believe  that  any  number  of  Indians  were  near 
us,  or  were  making  any  hostile  demonstrations.  In 
short,  the  treacherous  character  of  the  ground  made  it 
unfit  to  picket  a  large  number  of  horses  and  mules,  and 
the  stampede  was  almost  a  matter  of  course.  We  might 
have  escaped  such  a  calamity  as  inexperienced  cam- 
paigners sometimes  do,  but  the  chances,  considering  the 
number  of  animals  and  want  of  care  were  against  us. 

It  was  nine  o'clock  when  the  troop  started  on  the 
trail,  feeling  its  way  out  through  the  wilderness  of 
wrecked  wagons,  crippled  and  dead  horses  and  mules 
and  their  lariats  and  picket  pins,  met  with  in  the  first 
two  miles,  within  which  nearly  a  hundred  horses  and 
mules  were  found  dead  or  injured  by  being  pierced  with 
flying  picket  pins  or  by  being  tangled  in  the  ropes  and 
dragged.  We  did  not  stop  for  any  of  these,  but  rode  on 
to  head  off  those  animals  that  had  escaped  in  a  condi- 
tion to  travel.  Within  five  miles  of  camp  we  headed  off 
probably  200  mules.  Most  of  them  had  broken  their 
lariats  and  lost  their  picket  pins  by  being  trampled  up- 
on by  other  animals.  We  rounded  them  up  and  sent 
half  a  dozen  men  with  them,  following  the  river  bank 
towards  camp.  Then  we  spread  out  and  in  a  mile  or 
two,  rounded  up  another  large  band  nearly  all  mules, 
and  sent  another  squad  of  men  with  them.  It  was  my 
experience  then,  and  always  has  been  in  a  stampede, 


172  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

that  mules  tone  down  after  a  short  run,  whereas  fright- 
ened horses  never  know  when  to  stop,  and  run  until  ex- 
hausted. A  herd  of  mules  without  horses  to  lead  them 
in  a  stampede  will  hardly  ever  run  more  than  two  miles, 
circle  around  a  little  and  then  either  stop  to  graze  or 
strike  a  trail  at  a  moderate  gait.  Within  twelve  or  fif- 
teen miles  of  camp  we  had  turned  back  with  different 
squads  of  men  probably  400  mules  and  half  as  many 
horses;  and  now  Lieutenant  Hastings  and  three  or  four 
men  started  back  with  quite  a  band,  mostly  horses,  leav- 
ing with  me  about  twenty-five  men.  Following  the  same 
tactics  and  having  driven  in  whatever  we  could  find  with- 
in a  few  miles,  a  small  squad  of  men  was  started  up  the 
river  towards  camp.  A  couple  of  young  officers,  Lieu- 
tenants  Lloyd   Beall   and  Craig,   joined   me   with 

quite  a  band  of  horses  about  daylight. 

At  that  time  I  was  with  a  few  men  in  the  sand  hills, 
probably  a  mile  from  the  river.  We  swung  around  driv- 
ing about  sixty  horses  before  us  towards  the  river,  and 
suddenly  found  ourselves  close  to  an  Indian  camp,  a 
little  below  it.  There  was  no  changing  our  course  so  as 
to  avoid  the  village  altogether  without  abandoning  our 
captured  animals.  I  put  spurs  to  my  horse  to  get  be- 
tween the  horses  and  the  Indian  camp,  followed  closely 
by  Hand  and  the  two  officers.  The  horses  did  not  seem 
to  notice  the  lodges  until  close  on  to  them,  and  we 
rushed  through  the  south  edge  of  the  village  at  a  fast 
gallop.  In  the  meantime  the  dogs  set  up  a  terrible 
barking,  and  as  we  looked  back  the  whole  camp  seemed 
to  be  alive,  as  men,  women  and  children  hustled  out  oX 


174  FIVE  YEARS  A   DRAGOOW. 

their  lodges.  Attracted  by  a  large  number  of  Indian 
horses,  two  of  ours  started  to  ioin  them.  Craig  mado 
a  break  to  heed  them  off,  and  pistol  in  hand  chased  them 
through  the  Indian  herd.  Beall  joined  Craig  and  with 
the  two  horses  joined  my  party  in  little  more  time  than 
is  necessary  to  tell  it.  And  now  the  sun  was  coming  up; 
we  had  ridden  our  horses  at  all  sorts  of  gaits  seven 
hours.  In  the  band  we  were  driving  were  several  good 
ones.  We  rounded  them  up  in  a  bend  of  the  river  and 
made  a  change  and  helped  Beall  and  Craig  to  change. 
Knowing  that  the  Indians  would  be  soon  scouring  the 
country  for  horses,  and  with  my  small  party  of  men  I 
could  accomplish  nothing,  I  determined  to  scatter  out 
200  or  300  yards  apart  and  drive  all  we  could  find  to 
camp.  I  knew  that  the  camp  we  had  passed  was  com- 
posed of  Kiowas  and  Comanches,  about  thirty  miles  be- 
low our  camp.  When  about  twenty-five  miles  below  our 
camp,  I  saw  horses  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
They  must  be  a  part  of  ours  that  had  crossed  over;  they 
were  loose  and  grazing.  Through  my  glass  I  could  count 
about  a  dozen.  Leaving  the  balance  of  the  party  to  go 
on,  driving  everything  they  could  before  them,  I  took 
three  men  and  crossed  the  river.  Below  the  horses  first 
seen  there  were  no  signs  of  any  having  passed  down. 
We  drove  before  us  all  that  we  saw  and  probably  all  on 
that  side  and  arrived  in  camp  near  sunset  with  thirty- 
two.  At  retreat  roll  call  every  man  of  "B"  Troop  an- 
swered to  his  name.  Among  the  big  bands  brought  in 
by  Lieutenant  Hastings  and  others  the  dismounted  por- 
tion of  "D"  Troop  found  mounts,  and  with  citizen  em- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  175 

ployees  did  good  service  in  gathering  in  and  caring  for 
horses  and  mules. 

To  the  fact  that  "B"  Troop  was  able  to  mount 
promptly,  and  work  systematically  and  vigorously,  Col- 
onel Fauntleroy  owed  his  ability  to  move  without  aban- 
doning many  wagons,  only  those  badly  wrecked.  If 
pursuit  had  been  delayed  until  morning  the  Indians 
would  have  had  most  of  the  horses.  It  did  not  take 
them  long  to  scour  the  country  and  pick  up  what  we 
left.  They  brought  a  good  many  to  the  camp,  for  which 
the  Colonel  paid  them.  Two  days  after  the  stampede 
we  recrossed  the  river  and  found  a  fine  safe  camp  on 
the  north  side. 

Nearly  all  mules  not  killed  or  fatally  cripnled  were 
saved,  so  that  we  were  short  only  about  fifty.  About 
150  horses  were  dead  or  desperately  crippled,  and  many 
more  not  accounted  for,  probably  found  by  Indians  after 
we  left;  shortage,  200  or  more. 

Lieutenant  Beall  had  been  in  arrest  ever  since  we 
left  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  nov  he  was  released.  He 
volunteered  to  go  in  pursuit  of  the  stampeded  stock, 
and  on  Craig's  report  he  was  restored  to  dutv.  This  I 
understood  at  the  time.  Eight  ^ears  later  Captain  Craig 
told  me  at  Fort  Union,  N.  M.,  where  he  was  then  quar- 
termaster, that  on  the  way  to  camp  after  I  left  to  cross 

the  river,  Beall  said:    "Why  the  didn't  I  think  to 

lead  off  after  those  two  horses?  Here  I  am  a  first  lieu- 
tenant and  you  just  from  the  Academy;  I  am  under  a 
cloud  and  ought  to  have  done  something  to  recommend 
myself."     "You  did,"  said  Craig,   "you  followed  those 

12- 


176  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

horses  through  the  Indian  herd,  pistol  in  hand  (which 
was  true,  following  the  example  of  Craig),  and  I  shall 
so  report."  And  that  report  induced  Colonel  Fauntle- 
roy  to  release  Beall. 

The  history  of  these  two  men  is  interesting.  Beall 
was  a  captain  of  artillery  at  the  commencement  of  the 
Civil  War,  resigned  and  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army. 
Dr.  M.  S.  Thomas  resided  in  Leavenworth  previous  to 
the  war,  joined  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  as  a 
surgeon,  and  after  the  battle  following  the  capture  of 
General  Pope's  headauarters,  while  riding  over  the  bat- 
tlefield near  a  Confederate  battery  he  recognized  a  dog 
that  used  to  belong  to  Beall  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  He 
knew  that  the  dog  was  not  far  from  his  master,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  investigate.  He  soon  found  Sergeant  Beall. 
A  long  conversation  followed,  in  which  Beall  stated  that 
many  times  he  had  been  recommended  for  promotion, 
but  on  account  of  his  reputation  for  drinking  his  en- 
dorsements were  overruled  before  they  reached  the  ap- 
pointing power.  I  do  not  know  his  end.  Colonel  Craig 
married  a  wealthy  lady  in  Ohio,  resigned  from  the  army 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  prosecuted  a  claim  to  a  large 
Spanish  grant  of  land  in  southern  Colorado,  won  it,  and 
was  independentlv  rich,  and  died  before  he  was  fiftv. 

Colonel  Fauntleroy  sent  fcr  me  and  said  some  very 
nice  things  to  me  and  of  the  troop,  but  there  was  nc 
mention  of  the  happenings  in  "orders."  I  take  it  foi 
granted  that  Colonel  Fauntlerov  included  the  stampede 
in  his  report  to  the  War  Department,  and  that  the 
quartermaster,  Captain  Mastin,  reported  the  loss  of  pub- 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  177 

lie  animals  and  other  property,  but  no  mention  of  it  in 
newspapers,  nor  in  "orders"  anywhere.  Men  were  sup- 
posed to  do  their  duty  without  hope  of  special  com- 
mendation. A  troop  that  would  do  now  what  "B"  did 
then  would  he  commended  by  the  colonel,  by  the  depart- 
ment commander,  by  the  division  commander  and  by  the 
general  of  the  army  in  his  annual  report. 

After  recrossing  the  river  I  called  on  Major  Chilton 
as  soon  as  I  could.  I  never  saw  him  better  pleased  with 
the  troop.  "B  Troon  saved  the  command,"  said  he. 
"Mr.  Hastings  tells  me  that  vou  had  'boots  and  saddles' 
sounded  and  the  troop  ready  to  mount  when  he  reached 
it  after  the  stampede.  I  am  glad  you  were  so  prompt 
and  did  not  waif." 

And  now  we  moved  off  up  the  north  side  of  the 
Arkansas  by  easy  marches  for  several  days,  on  up  the 
river  to  Bent's  Old  Fort,  and  crossed;  thence  south  to 
Timpas,  Water  Holes,  Hole  in  the  Rock,  Hole  in  the 
Prairie,  crossing  Purgetwa — generally  pronounced  Pick- 
etware — below  where  Trinidad  now  is. 

It  was  nearlv  100  miles  farther  by  this  than  by  the 
Cimarron  route  to  Santa  Fe,  hence  it  had  been  aban- 
doned; had  not  been  traveled  since  the  Cimarron  came 
into  general  use.  Trees  had  fallen  across  the  trail, 
mountain  torrents  had  made  great  gulleys,  and  it  took 
Lieutenant  Craig's  pioneer  party — details  from  "B"  and 
"D"  Troops — several  days  to  make  the  road  passable. 
In  the  meantime  our  animals  had  the  finest  gramma 
grass  I  ever  saw,  and  I  never  saw  animals  improve  so 
much  as  ours  did  in  so  short  a  time. 


178  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

One  day  while  camped  here  Sergeant  Peel  went 
hunting;  he  was  riding  a  mule,  and  when  a  mile  or  two 
from  camp  a  thunder  storm  overtook  him,  and  he  sought 
shelter  under  a  thick  clump  of  pines.  A  flock  of  turkeys 
ran  under  a  big,  low  branched  pine,  not  more  than  ten 
yards  from  him.  The  rain  and  hail  came  down  in  tor- 
rents while  the  wind  blew  a  fearful  gale.  Peel  had  tied 
his  gentle  mule  securely,  and  deliberately  shot  seven- 
teen turkeys,  every  one  in  the  head.  They  seemed  to 
think  the  crack  of  his  rifle  a  peal  of  thunder,  and  the 
fluttering  of  the  dying  turkeys  did  not  frighten  them. 
He  finally  wounded  one  and  it  flew  away,  the  balance  of 
the  flock — half  a  dozen — following.  Peel  came  into  camn 
about  dark  with  all  that  his  mule  could  stagger  under. 

Just  before  this  storm  I  had  marched  my  detail  for 
guard  to  headquarters,  and  guard  mounting  was  just 
over  when  the  storm  struck  us.  I  put  spurs  to  my  horse 
and  rode  with  all  speed  for  camp.  I  had  crossed  a  dry 
ravine  going,  and  returning  found  a  mountain  torrent. 
I  very  imprudently  dashed  through  it,  looked  back  and 
saw  a  tree  a  foot  through  o-oing  down  at  railroad  speed. 
A  second  later  and  I  and  my  horse  were  hopelessly  lost. 
As  it  was,  nine  horses  out  of  ten  would  have  failed,  but 
my  noble  "Bruce,"  with  courage  that  knew  no  faltering, 
having  full  confidence  in  his  master,  landed  me  safely 
and  bounded  away  as  if  there  was  nothing  the  matter. 
This  horse  was  my  special  pet;  every  soldier's  horse 
ought  to  be.  It  may  be  a  little  hard  for  a  good  soldier 
of  fine  feelings  to  pet  a  miserable  plug,  and  on  the  other 
hand,  it  may  be  a  little  hard  for  a  good  horse  to  think 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  I79 

much  of  his  plug  master — both  combinations  that  ought 
not  to  exist.  Good  men  and  horses  having  faith  in  each 
other  will  follow  the  right  kind  of  leader  to  victory  or 
annihilation  without  a  murmur.  The  horse  need  not 
be  of  any  particular  strain  of  blood  so  that  he  is  of  a 
saddle  horse  breed,  made  to  gladden  the  heart  of  the 
proud  man  who  rides  him;  not  a  thick  shouldered,  fat 
headed,  short  stepping  thing,  only  fit  for  a  huckster,  but 
a  horse  with  flat,  muscular  legs,  short  back,  well  quar- 
tered, well  cupped  sound  hoofs,  high  crest,  lean  head, 
bright  eyes  and  brainy.  With  this  latter  combination, 
he  may  be  Spanish  broncho,  Arabian,  Kentucky  thor- 
oughbred, or  mixed — never  ask  a  man  to  ride  a  plug 
off  the  farm  where  he  is  used  to  plow.  One  of  the 
greatest  mistakes  this  Government  is  making  is  in  not 
using  a  part  of  the  Fort  Leavenworth  and  Fort  Eiley 
military  reservations  to  breed  a  sample  of  saddle  horse, 
if  for  no  other  reason  than  to  show  the  farmers  of  the 
surrounding  country  the  kind  of  horse  the  Government 
requires,  for  cavalry  and  artillery. 

Having  gotten  the  road  open  and  the  animals  well 
rested,  we  moved  over  the  Ratton  Pass  and  camped  at 
a  pond  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  We  were  rear 
guard  this  day  and  had  a  tedious  time;  some  wagons 
wrecked,  and  we  came  into  camn  late.  The  next  morn- 
ing we  were  in  advance  at  sunrise.  Approaching  Red 
River,  a  big  flock  of  turkeys  were  plainly  to  be  seen  on 
the  trees;  they  had  never  been  frightened  and  knew  no 
fear.     I   asked   permission   of   Lieutenant  Hastings   to 


180 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


ride  ahead  and  kill  one  of  them,  which  I  did,  shooting 
a  big  fellow  from  the  tree  with  my  pistol. 

The  first  settlement  that  we  struck  in  New  Mexico 
was  Maxwell's  Ranch,  on  the  Cimarron;  the  next  was 
Riado,  where  I  Troop  was  stationed.     We  here  heard 


"Council  Oak." 

Under  this  Oak,  at  Council  Grove,  treaty  was  made 

with  the  Great  and  Little  Osages  for  right  of 

way   of   Santa  Fe    Trail,    Aug.    10,    1825. 

Estimated  age  of  tree,  250  years. 

the  first  account  'of  the  battle  fought  six  weeks  before 
between  I  Troop  and  the  Apaches,  heretofore  referred 
to.    I  met  my  old  friend  Byrnes,  whom  I  had  not  seen 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  \g\ 

since  we  parted  at  Fort  Leavenworth  the  1st  of  April, 
1850.  Now  he  was  first  sergeant  as  heretofore  related. 
Headquarters,  band  and  "D"  Troop  stopped  here,  while 
"B"  went  on. 

Arrived  at  Fort  Union,  we  went  into  camp  by  our- 
selves about  two  miles  from  the  post.  And  now  the 
troop  was  under  orders  to  proceed  to  Fort  Stanton  in 
a  few  weeks.  Major  Chilton  found  his  commission  as 
major  and  paymaster,  was  ordered  to  report  at  Wash- 
ington, and  was  released  from  arrest.  As  my  time  would 
be  out  in  less  than  two  months  I  was  promised  a  fur- 
lough before  the  troop  would  go.  Colonel  Cook  would 
leave  Fort  Union  for  Fort  Leavenworth  in  two  weeks 
with  a  miscellaneous  command,  and  this  was  my  oppor- 
tunity to  go  to  the  "States." 

Pitching  two  wall  tents  facing  each  other  and 
stretching  a  fly  to  cover  the  space  between,  I  had  a  good 
orderly  room  and  office,  and  with  Corporal  Ferguson  for 
a  clerk,  assisted  by  Lieutenant  Hastings,  we  proceeded 
to  straighten  up  all  company  accounts,  and  bring  every- 
thing up  to  date  before  my  departure.  Nothing  in  the 
way  of  clerical  work  was  left  undone  on  Major  Chilton's 
account  as  well  as  Hastings'.  I  had  never  had  a  com- 
pany clerk  and  no  assistance  except  what  Lieutenant 
Hastings  was  always  glad  to  render,  and  assistance  from 
Ferguson  or  some  other  in  comparing  muster  rolls.  The 
records  will  show  that  when  I  left  the  clerical  work  was 
complete  and  there  would  be  no  unsettled  matters  be- 
tween the  troop  commander  and  any  of  the  departments, 


182  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

and  there  would  be  no  dispute  or  confusion  about  any 
man's  account. 

I  bought  a  mule,  and  Hastings  gave  me  a  saddle, 
bridle  and  blanket.  I  got  permission  to  put  my  provis- 
ions, blankets,  clothing,  etc.,  into  a  Government  wagon 
in  which  I  might  sleep  at  night.  Transportation  was 
scarce  and  teams  heavily  loaded.  A  man  on  furlough 
had  no  status  and  no  rights.  The  wagonmaster,  Mr. 
Eice,  very  kindly  invited  me  to  mess  with  him,  which 
I  was  very  glad  to  do.  The  dav  of  my  departure  came, 
my  last  roll  call  was  made  at  reveille,  and  I  passed  from 
right  to  left  of  the  troop  and  shook  hands  with  every 
man.  I  was  obliged  to  nerve  myself  to  the  utmost  to 
meet  this  trial,  one  of  the  greatest  of  my  life.  My  work 
was  done,  I  had  turned  my  back  upon  my  best  friends. 
I  would  never  make  better.  I  never  saw  any  one  else 
similarly  affected.  I  had  met  and  stood  as  severe  shocks 
as  any  man  of  my  age  that  I  had  ever  known,  and  in- 
wardly prided  myself  upon  being  equal  to  any  emer- 
gency, but  now  I  seemed  bewildered.  I  went  to  my 
tent  and  pretty  soon  Hastings  came  in  and  said:  "'Tis 
not  too  late  to  reenlist;  perhaps  you  had  best  recon- 
sider your  determination  to  leave  the  troop."  This 
seemed  to  bring  me  to  my  senses.  I  straightened  up 
and  replied:  "Lieutenant  Hastings,  I  appreciate  all  you 
say  and  all  of  the  good  will  that  you  have  ever  shown 
for  me,  but  I  have  matured  my  plans  for  the  future.  I 
am  tearing  myself  away  from  the  best  friends  I  ever 
had  and  am  doing  it  as  a  matter  of  duty  to  myself. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  army  for  me  from  my  stand- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  133 

point.  I  am  nearly  twentv-six  years  old,  and  in  another 
five  years  I  would  be  thirty-one.  I  have  learned  all  that 
I  can  hope  to  learn  in  the  army  that  would  assist  me  in 
civil  life.  Surely  my  services  will  be  worth  more  out 
of  the  army  than  in  it.  At  any  rate  I  have  nerved  my- 
self for  the  trial,  the  bridges  are  burned,  and  there  is  no 
retreat."  There  was  one  man,  Sergeant  Worrel,  in  the 
hospital.  Hastings  mentioned  the  fact  thinking  I  might 
have  overlooked  him.  I  said  that  I  did  not  have  to  say 
"good  bye"  to  him.  I  had  no  use  for  him;  he  was  a  thief, 
and  would  be  guilty  of  any  crime  he  dared  to  commit, 
and  I  gave  the  Lieutenant  satisfactory  evidence  that 
what  I  said  was  true,  and  told  him  that  sooner  or  later 
'  he  would  find  that  I  was  right.  I  have  heretofore  stated 
the  end  of  this  foul  murderer,  and  will  now  drop  him. 

There  were  two  married  men  in  the  troop,  Sergeants 
Peel  and  Espy.  Mrs.  Peel  and  Mrs.  Espy  gave  me  a  fare- 
well dinner,  learning  which  Mrs.  Hastings  sent  them 
some  delicacies  not  to  be  had  otherwise.  PeePs  only  son, 
Percival  Lowe  Peel,  was  two  years  old.  Having  said 
"good  bye"  to  Lieutenant  and  Mrs.  Hastings  and  their 
lovely  children,  and  to  Mrs.  Peel  and  Mrs.  Espy  and  their 
boys,  I  started  out  for  the  first  camp,  ten  miles.  When 
half  way  I  saw  Colonel  Fauntleroy,  staff,  band  and  "D" 
Troop  en  Toute  from  Riado  to  Union.  The  short  cut 
that  I  was  on  and  the  road  that  they  were  traveling  were 
a  mile  apart.  I  wanted  to  see  Bryden,  now  of  the  band; 
in  fact  I  would  have  been  glad  to  salute  the  Colonel  for 
the  last  time,  and  the  adjutant,  Lieutenant  Magruder, 
and  to  say  "good  bye"  to  genial  old  Band-master  Hooper, 


184  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

who  had  "been  my  dancing  master  several  winters.  I  got 
under  a  clump  of  pinyons,  sat  on  the  ground  and  saw 
them  pass.  To  go  down  and  shake  Bryden's  hand  would 
never  do;  it  would  he  a  severe  trial  to  say  "good  bye"  to 
him,  and  I  did  not  want  to  trust  myself.  And  so  I  watch- 
ed the  column,  the  dear  old  fellow  near  the  front,  his 
trumpet  over  his  shoulder,  the  cheering  notes  of  which  I 
wrould  never  hear  again.  It  was  my  last  look  at  all  of 
them  except  Sergeant  Candy  of  "D"  Troop,  now  Colonel 
Candy  of  the  Hampton  Soldiers'  Home. 

Arrived  in  camp  Major  Chilton's  servant  came  to 
say  that  the  Major  wanted  to  see  me.  When  I  reported 
he  wanted  to  know  how  I  was  fixed  for  the  trip.  I  told 
him  I  would  be  all  right. 

We  came  in  the  Cimarron  route,  leaving  the  old 
trail  near  Diamond  Springs,  turned  north  to  Fort  Eiley 
and  thence  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  At  Riley  I  left  the 
command,  and  arrived  at  Fort  Leavenworth  two  days 
later,  and  by  invitation  of  Levi  Wilson,  who  was  general 
superintendent  of  teams,  etc.,  I  took  my  meals  at  his 
house,  a  room  having  been  furnished  me  elsewhere. 

Major  Ogden  told  Mr.  Wilson  to  employ  me,  and  I 
was  put  in  charge  of  a  small  train,  five  six  mule  teams 
for  Fort  Riley  and  met  Colonel  Cook's  command  ten  miles 
out.  I  was  warmly  congratulated  on  being  so  well  em- 
ployed. I 

This  was  the  beginning  of  five  years'  continuous  ser- 
vice in  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  the  most  inter- 
esting part  of  which  I  will  sketch  hereafter. 


PART   V. 

LATE  in  the  fall  of  1852,  Major  E.  H.  Chilton,  with 
his  Troop  B,  First  Dragoons,  of  which  I  was  then 
first  sergeant,  escorted  Major  E.  A.  Ogden  from 
Fort  Leavenworth  on  an  expedition  to  locate  a  new  mil- 
itary post  in  the  vicinity  of  the  forks  of  the  Kansas 
Eiver — the  confluence  of  the  Smoky  Hill  and  Republican. 
The  site  selected  was  afterwards  named  Fort  Riley,f  now 
one  of  the  finest  military  posts  in  America.  Some  build- 
ings were  erected  in  1853  and  1854,  most  of  them  tem- 
porary, and  the  post  was  garrisoned  by  infantry.  I  quote 
the  following  from  an  address*  delivered  by  me  before 
the  State  Historical  Society,  January  14,  1890: 

"Of  all  charming  and  fascinating  portions  of  our 
country,  probably  there  is  none  where  Nature  has  been  so 
lavish  as  within  a  radius  of  150  miles,  taking  Fort  Riley 
as  the  center.  In  rich  soil,  building  material,  in  beauty 
of  landscape,  wooded  streams  and  bubbling  springs,  in 

*Address  delivered  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  So- 
ciety, at  its  twenty-fifth  annual  meeting,  January  15,  1901. 

+The  post  was  named  in  honor  of  Brevet  Major-General 
Bennet  Riley,  U  S.  Army,  who  entered  the  service  in  1813,  and 
died  in  1853.  He  distinguished  himself  in  campaigns  against 
Indians  in  Florida,  and  was  breveted  brigadier  and  major- 
general  for  meritorious  and  gallant  conduct  in  the  war  with 
Mexico. — Editor.  k 

185 


Monument  At  Fort  Riley  in  Memory  of  the   Seventh 

Cavalry  Officers  and  Enlisted  Men  who  Died 

in  Battle  with  Indians 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  137 

animal  life,  in  everything  to  charm  the  eye,  gladden  the 
heart,  and  yield  to  the  industry  of  man,  here  was  the 
climax  of  the  most  extravagant  dream,  perfect  in  all  its 
wild  beauty  and  productiveness;  perfect  in  all  that  Na- 
ture's God  could  hand  down  to  man  for  his  improvement 
and  happiness." 

The  Congress  that  adjourned  March  4,  1855,  made 
an  appropriation  for  preparing  Fort  Eiley  for  a  cavalry 
post  by  erecting  new  quarters,  stables  for  five  troops  of 
cavalry,  storehouses,  etc.,  the  plans  of  which  were  pre- 
pared in  Washington;  and  Maj.  E.  A.  Ogden,  quarter- 
master IT.  S.  A.,  was  ordered  to  take  charge  of  the  work. 
The  buildings  were  all  to  be  of  stone  to  be  taken  from 
quarries  in  the  vicinity  of  the  post.  The  major  made  con- 
tracts with  Sawyer  &  Mcllvain — or  Mcllwain,  of  Cincin- 
nati, for  the  necessary  woodwork,  doors  and  frames,  win- 
dow-sash, etc.,  to  be  made  at  the  factory  in  Cincinnati 
and  shipped  with  the  necessary  lumber,  hardware,  glass, 
etc.,  by  boat  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  thence  by  wagon 
to  Fort  Eiley.  Mr.  Sawyer  was  employed  as  architect 
and  superintendent.  I  was  post  wagon-master  at  Fort 
Leavenworth  when  the  order  came  to  furnish  transporta- 
tion for  the  men  to  Fort  Riley,  and  a  request  from  Maj. 
Ogden  that  I  be  placed  in  charge  of  it.  With  fifty-six 
mule  teams,  I  met,  on  the  Fort  Leavenworth  levee,  about 
500  men,  mechanics,  laborers,  etc.,  just  landing  from 
steamboats,  and  camped  them  in  Salt  Creek  Valley.  Ex- 
cepting a  few  Mexican  War  veterans,  none  of  these  men 
had  ever  been  in  camp.     They  were  just  from  their  homes 


188  WW  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

in  Cincinnati  or  St.  Louis,  and,  as  a  large  percentage  of 
them  were  married  men,  this  was  a  novel  experience. 
Fortunately,  the  day  was  fine  and  we  got  into  camp 
early. ' 

Without  incident  of  much  importance  we  arrived  at 
Fcrt  Eiley  in  four  days,  without  a  storm  or  other  serious 
discomfort.  The  men  cheerfully  walked,  turn  about,  in 
order  to  make  time  and  get  permanently  settled.  All 
were  located  in  quarters  or  camped  under  canvas,  and 
work  in  all  branches  commenced  the  first  week  in  July. 
Excavations  for  foundations,  quarrying  rock,  burning 
lime,  making  brick,  cutting  wood  for  burning  them,  haul- 
ing rock,  sand,  wood,  etc.,  burning  charcoal — in  short,  in 
a  few  days  all  of  the  gangs  of  mechanics  and  laborers 
were  adjusted  to  their  work  and  everything  was  moving 
as  smoothly  as  possible.  The  messing  was  the  most  im- 
portant and  the  most  difficult  feature.  Some  cooks  had 
been  brought,  but  most  of  them  had  much  to  learn  about 
cooking  in  camp.  The  carpenters  seemed  to  get  along 
the  best,  and  were  from  the  first  to  last  a  fine  lot  of  men 
and  gave  no  trouble.  It  fell  to  my  lot,  under  Major  Og- 
den's  instructions,  to  look  generally  after  all  camps,  and 
from  my  experience  to  advise  the  cooks  about  preparing 
the  food — the  same  as  allowed  to  soldiers — and  to  see 
that  the  camps  were  well  located. 

By  the  end  of  July  a  kiln  of  brick,  lime  and  charcoal 
had  been  burned,  and  one  two-story  stone  building  finish- 
ed, except  hanging  the  doors  and  putting  in  the  windows, 
and  a  number  of  others  well  under  way.     This  completed 


FIVE  TEARS  A   DRAGOON.  l§9 

building  was  taken  possession  of  for  offices,  and  two  iron 
safes  containing  the  funds  for  paying  the  men  were  put 
in  the  front  room.  By  contract,  the  men  hired  to  work 
until  the  15th  of  November,  and  were  to  be  paid  half 
their  wages  at  the  end  of  each  month  and  the  balance  at 
the  end  of  the  time  for  which  they  were  hired.  They 
were  then  to  be  returned  by  wagon  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
and  thence  by  boat  to  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati,  whence 
they  came. 

Major  Ogden,  on  horseback  or  on  foot,  was  conspicu- 
ous for  his  general  supervision  of  everything,  ready  to 
call  attention  to  any  neglect  of  work  that  did  not  seem  to 
be  going  on  to  the  best  advantage,  and  in  that  one  month 
of  July  I  learned  more  than  I  ever  have  during  the  same 
length  of  time.  There  was  very  little  friction,  as  the 
major's  experience  with  men  and  material  was  extensive, 
and  his  well-directed  energy  and  good  judgment  made 
all  of  the  departments  move  as  nearly  in  harmony  as  was 
possible  among  men  suddenly  taken  into  camp  from  their 
city  homes.  More  than  half  of  them  lived  in  tents.  The 
teamsters  probably  lived  better  than  any  other  class  of 
men  on  the  work,  as  they  were  accustomed  to  camp  life; 
some  had  served  in  the  Army,  and  were  therefore  fairly 
well  disciplined  and  well  versed  in  cooking  Government 
rations.  Towards  the  end  of  the  month  a  few  men  became 
ill,  and  one  or  two  men  died  of  what  was  undoubtedly 
cholera.  All  hands  received  their  half-month's  pay  on 
the  1st  of  August  and  that  evening  Major  Ogden  and  I 
rode  from  camp  to  camp  inspecting  all  the  messes  and  the 


190  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

manner  of  living.  He  talked  freely  and  cheerfully,  not- 
withstanding the  feeling  of  unrest  caused  by  the  few 
cases  of  sickness,  which  had  been  promptly  sent  to  the 
hospital.  He  dwelt  carefully  upon  all  the  details  and 
expressed  the  opinion  that  there  would  be  little  danger 
of  cholera  if  the  men  lived  well.  He  entered  into  the 
matter  with  his  usual  gentle  earnestness,  and  restored 
courage  and  confidence  in  many  whose  homes  and  friends 
were  far  away.  But  this  was  his  last  effort;  the  last 
cheering  words  to  the  men  he  had  brought  to  this  new 
territory  to  build  what  was  then  considered  a  great  mil- 
itary post.  We  also  went  through  all  of  the  quarters 
occupied  by  the  men,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Sawyer,  in 
whom  the  mechanics  had  great  confidence.  When  Major 
Ogden  arrived  to  build  the  post,  all  of  the  troops  had 
left  for  the  summer's  campaign  on  the  plains,  so  that 
of  the  military  there  were  left  only  the  Army  surgeon, 
Dr.  Simmons,  Chaplain  Clarkson,  Bandmaster  Jackson 
and  a  few  other  members  of  the  band  of  the  Sixth  In- 
fantry, the  hospital  steward,  whose  name  I  am  sorry  I 
do  not  remember,  and  a  young  soldier  whose  term  of 
service  would  expire  in  a  few  months.  He  acted  as 
orderly  for  the  major.  During  the  night  of  the  1st  of 
August  cholera  developed  rapidly.  The  morning  of  the 
2d  dawned  on  a  camp  in  great  anxiety  and  distress. 
Major  Ogden  had  been  taken  sick  and,  although  every 
effort  was  made  to  keep  this  information  from  spread- 
ing, it  flew  like  wildfire  and  caused  a  panic.  A  burial 
party  and  a  gang  of  men  to  dig  graves  were  organized. 


13- 


192  FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Several  died  that  day.  Work  was  generally  suspended, 
though  Sawyer  tried  to  keep  men  at  work,  and  a  few 
did  work,  without  stopping.  I  have  no  idea  how  many 
men  were  sick,  but  much  of  the  illness  was  caused  by 
mental  anxiety.  The  slightest  indisposition  was  attrib- 
uted to  cholera,  and  often  resulted  in  bringing  it  on. 
All  sorts  of  wild  reports  were  afloat,  and  a  stranger 
coming  in  would  think  half  the  garrison  in  a  dying  con- 
dition, everything  was  so  exaggerated. 

Sawyer  and  Hopkins,  the  chief  clerk,  gave  special 
attention  to  Major  Ogden.  Martin,  whose  business  it 
was  to  keep  the  men's  time,  mingled  with  them  in  camp 
and  quarters,  including  the  hospital,  and  gave  much 
attention  to  burying  the  dead  and  nursing  the  sick.  I 
never  saw  a  cooler  or  more  intelligently  nervy  man. 

I  moved  all  the  teams  four  miles  up  the  Republican 
River  to  a  fine,  dry  camp,  partly  for  the  safety  of  the 
men  and  partly  to  prevent  mules  being  stolen  to  ride 
away  on,  several  having  been  already  taken.  I  instructed 
the  men  not  to  leave  camp  or  allow  anyone  to  approach 
it;  built  a  corral  of  the  wagons  for  present  use;  gave 
orders  to  corral  the  mules  every  night,  and  set  the  men 
to  cutting  cottonwood  poles  and  building  a  large  corral, 
which  was  needed.  I  knew  that  the  distress  was  great 
enough  to  justify  sending  an  express  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth for  medical  assistance.  The  doctor  was  utterly 
unable  to  meet  the  demands  upon  him,  and  I  told  Mr. 
Orton,  a  wagon-master,  to  report  to  me,  ready  to  go,  and 
mounted  on  his  best  mule,  but  not  to  let  .anyone  know 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  193 

that  he  was  going.  I  called  to  see  Major  Ogden  in  the 
fore  part  of  the  evening.  There  was  no  hope  for  him. 
Sawyer  and  Hopkins  knew  it,  and  asked  me  for  a  reliable 
man  to  carry  letters  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  I  told  them 
that  Mr.  Orton  was  ready,  and  that  I  had  selected  him, 
much  as  I  disliked  to  part  with  him,  because  I  knew 
he  would  get  there  as  quickly  as  it  was  possible  to  go. 
He  left  about  10  p.  m.,  August  2d,  and  delivered  his  let- 
ters at  Fort  Leavenworth  about  2  p.  m.,  August  4th, 
having  ridden  130  miles  on  one  mule  in  forty  hours.  He 
fed  himself  and  mule  several  times,  but  did  not  sleep. 
After  Orton  had  gone,  I  went  to  the  hospital  with 
Martin.  Sawyer  had  appointed  nurses,  with  promise  of 
extraordinary  pay,  and  they  seemed  to  be  trying  to  do 
their  best,  but  all  the  sick  had  not  been  brought  there. 
Many  were  in  the  camps.  The  hospital  steward  was  a 
good  man,  and  stuck  to  his  post  cheerfully,  but  the  doc- 
tor seemed  to  have  given  up,  and  had  not  been  seen  about 
the  sick  since  morning.  Murmuring  and  discontent  were 
general,  and  it  was  known  that  many  men  had  gone — 
struck  off  down  the  road  on  foot.  About  midnight  Mar- 
tin promised  to  keep  moving  about  if  I  would  lie  down 
awhile,  which  I  did  on  a  buffalo-robe  in  the  office  where 
the  safes  were  I  had  scarcely  closed  my  eyes  when  I 
heard  groans  in  the  room  next  to  me.  I  looked  in  and 
found  Hopkins  in  great  agony,  with  a  bad  case  of  chol- 
era. Two  men  were  doing  their  best  for  him.  I  stayed 
with  him  a  few  minutes  and  then  went  to  the  steward, 
at  the  hospital,  who  gave  me  some  brandy.     On  my  way 


194  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

back  I  called  at  the  doctor's  quarters.  He  came  to  the 
door  himself.  I  told  him  of  Mr.  Hopkins'  illness,  and 
asked  if  he  could  go  and  see  him.  I  saw  that  he  was 
nearly  a  physical  and  mental  wreck.  He  shook  his  head 
sadly  and  said,  while  he  shoved  up  his  sleeves  and 
rubbed  his  arms  and  hands:  "Mr.  Lowe,  I  am  unstrung 
— unfit  for  anything.  I  want  to  take  my  family  to  St. 
Mary's  Mission.  I  wish  you  would  send  me  an  ambu- 
lance. I  want  to  get  off  as  quickly  as  possible."  I  told 
him  I  had  no  ambulance  under  my  immediate  charge — 
in  fact,  there  was  not  then  an  ambulance  at  the  post. 
I  returned  to  Hopkins  with  the  brandy,  and  then  went 
to  Major  Ogden's  headquarters.  Sawyer  was  about  re- 
ceiving his  last  message  to  his  wife.  "Tell  her/'  he  said, 
"that  I  appreciated  her  love  to  the  last." 

The  distress  on  August  2d  was  as  nothing  compared 
with  the  horrors  of  the  3d.  Brevet  Major  Wood  had 
gone  to  Fort  Kearney  with  his  company,  leaving  his  wife 
and  two  children.  All  had  cholera.  Brevet  Major  Armis- 
tead,  afterwards  Major-General  Armistead  of  the  Con- 
federate Army,  had  gone  up  the  Smoky  Hill  with  his 
company,  leaving  his  wife  and  two  children.  His  wife 
had  cholera.  Additional  cases  were  noted  all  over  the 
post.  Thus  the  morning  of  the  3d  opened.  An  ambu- 
lance had  gone  after  Major  Armistead.  Beverend  Mr. 
Clarkson,  the  post  chaplain,  with  his  wife  and  niece, 
were  the  only  nurses  for  Mrs.  Wood  and  her  two  chil- 
dren and  Mrs.  Armistead.  I  never  saw  braver  or  more 
devoted  nurses  and  friends  than  the  Clarksons.     They 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  195 

took  Mrs.  Armistead's  two  children  home,  and  did  every- 
thing that  could  be  done  for  the  Others.  But  Mrs.  Wood 
and  her  two  children  and  Mrs.  Armistead  died  during 
the  day.  Mr.  Sawder  wanted  to  use  the  messenger — the 
young  soldier  acting  orderly  for  the  major — but  I  found 
him  in  the  room  over  the  office  where  I  had  tried  to 
sleep,  dying  of  cholera.  Sawyer  procured  the  lead  lin- 
ings from  the  tea-caddies  in  the  commissary,  and  had 
Major  Ogden's  coffin  made  air-tight. 

Fifteen  in  all  died  on  the  3d  of  August — Major  Og- 
den,  Mrs.  Armistead,  Mrs.  Wood  and  two  children,  the 
major's  orderly,  and  nine  workmen.  A  few  men  were 
at  work  all  the  time,  and  Mr.  Sawyer  encouraged  them 
to  continue,  but  their  surroundings  were  distracting.  A 
delegation  waited  on  Mr.  Sawver  and  earnestly  insisted 
that  the  balance  due  them  should  be  paid  and  they  al- 
lowed to  go.  Sawyer  explained  to  them  that,  even  if 
they  were  entitled  to  more  pay,  it  could  not  be  given 
to  them,  as  there  was  no  one  to  nay  them,  and  the  money 
was  locked  up  in  the  safe,  which  could  not  be  opened. 
A  little  after  noon  I  galloped  off  to  my  camp  on  the 
Eepublican,  found  everything  all  right,  and  no  sickness 
among  the  fifty  men  there.  I  did  not  dismount,  nor  did 
I  allow  anyone  to  come  near  me.  I  returned  to  the  post 
about  three  o'clock,  and  saw  Mr.  Sawyer  and  Eev.  Mr. 
Clarkson  sitting  on  the  latter's  front  porch  looking  at 
?  band  of  men  in  the  middle  of  the  parade-ground. 
Sawyer  called  to  me,  and  I  hitched  my  horse  and  joined 
them  on  the  porch.     Mr.  Clarkson  made  the  following 


196  FIyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

statement:  Mr.  Kobert  Wilson,  the  post  sutler,  who 
had  a  very  large  stock  of  goods  in  his  store,  had  locked 
up  everything  and  taken  his  family  away  in  the  morn- 
ing, accompanied  by  one  of  Major  Ogden's  clerks.  Soon 
after  I  left,  about  one  o'clock,  the  store  was  broken 
into  by  a  gang  of  men,  some  goods  scattered  about,  a 
barrel  of  whiskey  rolled  out,  a  head  knocked  in,  and, 
with  tin  cups,  the  men  helped  themselves.  When  weh 
bquored  up,  led  by  a  big  stonemason,  some  of  them  broke 
open  the  building  used  for  the  post  ordnance  depart- 
ment, and  armed  themselves  with  guns,  pistols,  and 
ammunition. 

And  there  they  were,  in  a  half-drunken  condition, 
on  the  parade-ground,  airing  their  grievances,  threaten- 
ing to  break  open  the  safes  and  pay  themselves,  etc. 
But  a  small  portion  of  the  revelers  armed  themselves 
(about  twenty-five),  and  they  formed  a  circle,  with  their 
leader  inside,  while  all  sorts,  drunk  and  sober,  looked  on. 
We  could  hear  plainly  most  that  was  said,  and  they 
meant  that  we  should  hear;  and,  if  carried  out,  it  looked 
serious.  A  committee  headed  by  this  fellow  had  waited 
upon  Sawyer  before  they  broke  into  the  sutler's  store 
and  demanded  the  pav  they  claimed  was  due  them. 
Sawyer  was  a  man  of  good  courage,  but  of  quiet  dispo- 
sition, and  not  a  very  strong  man.  Seeing  the  apparent 
determination  of  the  fellow  and  his  following,  Sawyer 
parleyed  a  little,  and  said  that  when  I  came  we  would 
consult  about  it.  The  man  said  that  if  I  did  not  come 
d — d  quick,  they  would  not  wait.    And  this  violent  dem- 


198  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

onstration  on  the  parade-ground  seemed  to  be  a  warning 
to  accede  to  their  demand.  Of  course,  Sawyer's  refer- 
ence to  me  was  a  mere  ruse  to  gain  time  and  form  some 
plan  of  action.  I  suggested  that  I  go  and  talk  to  the 
men,  since  my  name  had  been  mentioned.  I  knew  the 
leader  pretty  well,  and  thought  he  would  listen  to  me; 
at  any  rate,  I  might  check  him  up  until  we  had  a  little 
more  time,  and  perhaps  bridge  over  until  he  would  sober 
up.  I  never  was  more  anxious  for  a  good  company  of 
soldiers  under  a  good  officer. 

Sawyer  rather  demurred  at  my  trying  to  pacify 
these  men — it  was  against  his  judgment,  and  might  pre- 
cipitate trouble.  I  assured  him  that  I  would  not  make 
matters  worse.  The  day  was  exceedingly  hot  and  I 
took  Sawyer's  umbrella.  As  I  approached,  I  saw  that 
most  of  this  valiant  chief's  followers  were  hopelessly 
drunk.  The  leader  stood  in  the  center  flourishing  a 
pistol,  which  was  apparently  cocked.  A  drunken  man 
noticed  me,  and  cried  out,  "Hurrah  for  the  mounted 
chief!"  a  name  given  me  and  by  which  I  was  generally 
referred  to,  because  I  was  always  moving  about  pretty 
lively  on  horseback,  while  others  in  charge  of  work  or 
exercising  any  autlfority  were  on  foot.  I  stepped  into 
the  circle  and  said  to  the  leader,  "What  is  the  matter, 

Mr.  ?"     QuicK  as  lightning  he  sprang  back  and 

leveled  his  pistol,  and  if  it  had  been  at  full  cock,  1 
would  have  been  shot.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  no  defi- 
nite plan  of  action — had  no  arms  and  no  fixed  notion 
of  what  I  would  do.     Whatever  I  did  dawned  upon  me 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  199 

instantly.  The  violent  threats  of  the  man  caused  me 
to  act;  the  impulse  was  irresistible.  Dropping  the  um- 
brella, I  seized  his  pistol,  gave  him  a  trip  and  quick  jerk, 
and  his  huge  body  fell  so  heavily  that  the  breath  was 
knocked  out  of  him.  I  had  his  pistol  and  threatened 
to  kill  him  if  he  moved.  As  soon  as  he  could  get  breath, 
he  begged  for  his  life.  The  crowd  seemed  dumb.  With 
my  left  hand  I  jerked  a  gun  from  the  nearest  man,  who 
was  so  drunk  that  he  fell  over.  Throwing  the  gun  on 
the  ground,  I  told  the  others  to  pile  their  guns  and 
pistols  on  it.  I  never  saw  an  order  more  promptly 
obeyed. 

The  mutiny,  or  rebellion,  so  far  as  these  men  were 
concerned,  was  over.  I  called  to  a  lot  of  carpenters  an^ 
asked  them  to  carry  the  guns  and  pistols  to  the  quarter- 
masters office,  which  they  did,  and  put  them  by  the 
two  iron  safes.  Quite  a  quantity  of  ammunition  was 
disgorged  by  the  disarmed  men,  and  a  ridiculous  part  of 
it  was  that  much  of  it  was  not  suitable  for  the  arms 
they  had.  But  few  of  the  guns  were  properly  loaded, 
and  some  not  at  all.  It  was  a  drunken  outfit  all  around. 
I  said  but  little  to  them  beyond  the  plain  and  emphatic 
statement  that  no  Government  property  should  be  mo- 
lested; no  noise  or  drunken  rioting  would  be  permitted; 
no  misbehavior  of  any  kind;  and  the  man  who  broke 
one  of  these  rules  would  do  so  at  his  peril,  for  hence- 
forth the  line  was  drawn,  and  this  was  to  be  considered 
a  notice  to  all  bad  men.  While  I  believed  that  nine- 
tenths  of  all  the  men  employed  would  do  their  best  in 
this  trying  time,  I  exhorted  them  to  stand  by  and  help 


- 


FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  201 

each  other.  The  fallen  and  bruised  leader  protested  his 
sorrow,  laying  it  all  to  whiskey.  The  indignation  ex- 
pressed by  many  good  men  reached  the  manhood  that 
was  trying  to  assert  itself  through  the  fumes  of  the 
whiskey  he  had  taken.  He  was  a  foreman,  a  fine  work- 
man, came  to  Mr.  Sawyer  highly  recommended,  and  had 
a  respectable  family  in  Cincinnati.  The  terrible  condi- 
tion so  demoralized  him  that  with  the  heat  and  whiskey 
he  became  crazed.  I  learned  afterwards  that  he  had  no 
hand  in  breaking  into  the  store,  but  drank  freely  when 
he  found  the  whiskey.  There  had  to  be  a  severe  check 
somewhere,  to  set  the  reckless  element  to  thinking, 
and  bring  the  better  element  to  the  front  and  establish 
leaders. 

This  was  the  turning  -  point.  It  happened  oddly 
enough,  but  was  effective.  Men  of  different  trades  or- 
ganized themselves  into  squads  to  keep  good  order  and 
to  assist  each  other.  Nurses  volunteered  for  the  hos- 
pital and  in  the  camps.  Voluntary  help  came  pouring 
in,  though  I  found  that  many  men  had  left  the  post. 
There  was  no  way  of  stopping  them,  and  under  the  cir- 
cumstances perhaps  it  was  well  that  they  should  go. 
But  where  could  they  go?  There  was  no  settlement  in 
the  immediate  country.  There  was  one  family  at  the 
bridge  across  the  Big  Blue,  nineteen  miles  east,  and 
the  Catholic  mission  and  Pottawatomie  village  of  St. 
Mary's,  fifty-two  miles  east,  where  good  Father  Duer- 
inck  had  established  a  college  and  was  gathering  in  the 
young  Pottawatomies  and  teaching  them,  with  admirable 
success,  to  become  good  citizens.     Here  Mrs.   Bertram 


202  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

kept  the  only  hotel  worth  the  name  between  Fort  Eiley 
and  Leavenworth.  Captain  Alley's  store  at  Silver  Lake, 
the  Pottawatomie  homes  and  the  eating-place  at  Hick- 
ory Point  finishes  the  list  of  settlements,  save  here  and 
there  at  long  intervals  a  squatter's  shanty.  (I  do  not 
say  "cabin/'  because  that  indicates  a  home  built  of  logs, 
with  a  fireplace,  where  warmth,  comfort  and  contentment 
abound  in  winter  and  cool  restfulness  in  summer.)  Such 
houses  did  exist  at  long  intervals  along  the  streams,  but 
seldom  on  the  high  prairie.  A  shanty,  boarded  up  and 
down,  with  a  stovepipe  through  the  roof,  was  the  rule, 
and  a  decent  man  ought  to  have  died  alone  rather  than 
intrude  himself  on  one  of  these  poor  families,  under 
•the  circumstances. 

A  small  steamboat  had  run  up  the  Kaw  to  Manhat- 
tan, twenty  miles  east  of  Fort  Eiley.  (At  the  time  I 
write  of  I  had  not  seen  Manhattan,  and  do  not  know 
what  settlements  were  there.)  A  lot  of  the  stampeders 
from  Fort  Eiley  took  possession  of  her  and  ran  down 
the  river  for  a  few  miles,  got  aground  and  had  to  leave 
her.  Martin  told  me  of  a  raft  of  logs  down  in  the  river, 
tied  to  some  trees.  He  learned  that  the  men  who  had 
made  the  raft  were  waiting  for  night,  when  they  would 
cover  it  with  lumber  from  a  pile  of  pine  flooring  near  by. 
I  went  with  him,  cut  all  the  ropes,  and  set  the  logs  float- 
ing singly  down  the  river.  This  saved  the  lumber.  The 
men  probably  deserted. 

Major  Armistead's  quarters  were  the  second  west 
of  the  quartermaster's  office.  Mrs.  Clarkson  and  her 
niece  had  prepared  the  body  of  Mrs.  Armistead  for  burial, 


FIVE  YEARS  A   DRAGOON. 


but  it  was  not  to  be  coffined  until  the  major's  arrival.  En- 
tering the  hall  through  the  door  from  the  south  porch, 
one  walked  about  ten  feet  north  and  entered  a  room 
through  a  door  on  the  left.  At  the  left  of  the  door  stood 
a  bed,  with  head  to  the  east.  From  the  mantel  at  the 
west  end  of  the  room  a  candle  shed  a  dim  light  over 
the  room  and  the  bed,  on  which  lay  Mrs.  Armistead,  the 
white  bed-clothes  covering  her  as  if  asleep.  Her  face 
was  not  covered,  and  to  one  standing  a  little  way  from 
the  bed  she  seemed  to  be  sleeping  peacefully,  and  no 
one  not  cognizant  of  the  fact  would  have  thought  her 
dead — a  lovely  picture  of  a  lovely  woman.  Mr.  Clark- 
son  informed  me  that  his  wife  and  niece  were  worn  out, 
but  would  attend  to  Mrs.  Wood's  quarters,  where  she 
and  her  children  were  coffined,  ready  for  burial  in  the 
morning,  and  he  asked  me  to  take  charge  of  the  Armis- 
tead quarters,  which  I  promised  to  do. 

Counting  the  time  that  the  ambulance  had  been 
gone,  I  expected  the  major  sometime  before  midnight. 
I  knew  that  the  faithful  driver,  K.  B.  Cecil,  now  a 
wealthy  farmer  of  Platte  County,  Missouri,  would  spare 
no  effort  to  bring  him  quickly.  About  ten  o'clock  1 
heard  an  ambulance  rattling  over  the  stony  road,  knew 
it  was  the  major,  and  dreaded  to  meet  him.  As  the 
ambulance  stopped  at  the  porch,  I  opened  the  door  and 
the  major  sprang  out,  shook  my  hand  and  inquired: 
"How  about  my  family?"  I  hesitated  a  little,  which 
he  interpreted  as  a  bad  omen  and  continued:  "Are  they 
all  gone — wife,  children  and  all?"  "No,  major,"  said 
I,  "your  children  are  safe  at  Mr.  Clarkson's.     He  said 


204  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

no  more  then.  Taking  hold  of  his  left  arm,  we  walker! 
to  and  stepped  inside  £he  room.  Taking  off  his  hat,  he 
cried  out:  "Oh,  my  poor  wife!  Oh,  my  poor  wife !"  The 
agony  of  that  minute  during  which  he  gazed  on  her 
was  terrible.  I  led  him  gently  away.  When  on  the 
porch,  he  said:  "I  will  take  my  children  on  the  plains 
with  me.  I  will  take  them  away  to-morrow."  I  assured 
him  that  I  would  have  his  quarters  cared  for,  and  he 
went  to  Mr.  Clarkson's,  where  his  children,  a  boy  ar.d 
a  girl,  were  located.  Martin  came  to  me  about  midnight ; 
he  said  he  had  gotten  quite  a  nap  and  would  relieve  me. 
I  went  to  the  office,  put  an  unhung  door  on  the  two 
iron  safes,  two  robes  on  that,  and  tried  to  sleep.  I  did 
not  fear  an  attack  on  the  safes,  though  I  was  well  pre- 
pared for  it.  For  two  days  and  nights  I  had  scarcely 
closed  my  eyes.  I  thought  I  had  seen  enough  suffering 
and  wickedness  in  this  one  day  to  haunt  me  a  lifetime. 
In  the  room  overhead  was  the  dead  soldier;  Hopkins, 
in  a  critical  condition,  was  in  the  adjoining  room;  Major 
Ogden,  Mrs.  Armistead,  Mrs.  Wood  and  her  two  chil- 
dren were  dead  —  all  within  a  short  distance  of  each 
other.  Others  were  still  unburied  and  an  additional  one 
reported  dead  from  time  to  time.  Several  new  cases  were 
reported  to  me  while  at  Major  Armistead's  quarters. 
At  the  rate  of  increase  the  outlook  was  alarming. 

How  good  comes  of  evil  was  illustrated  here.  The 
outrage  of  breaking  into  the  sutler's  store  and  of  taking 
arms  from  the  ordnance  building  created  great  excite- 
ment throughout  the  post.  Disarming  the  rioters  and 
their  probable  immediate  departure  soon  after  relieved 


FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  205 

the  minds  of  the  better  element,  gave  new  courage, 
cemented  a  brotherhood  among  those  remaining,  and  cre- 
ated a  determination  to  help — to  assist  instead  of  de- 
stroy; and  I  have  always  believed  that  if  I  had  met 
nothing  but  the  continued  distress  prevailing,  I  should 
have  collapsed.  But  this  exciting  episode  cleaned  my 
head  and  stirred  my  energies  to  greater  action,  and 
many  others  were  similarly  affected. 

I  had  not  slept  long  when  I  was  aroused  by  some 
loose  animals  rubbing  against  the  front  porch.  It  was 
three  o'clock  by  my  watch.  I  was  surprised  that  I  had 
slept  at  all.  I  then  went  over  to  the  Armistead  quar- 
ters. Martin  had  fastened  the  door  leading  from  the 
hall  into  Mrs.  Armistead's  room,  and  he  lay  asleep  in 
the  hall.  I  mounted  my  horse,  rode  to  my  own  tent, 
where  the  cavalry  stables  now  stand,  and  got  break- 
fast. I  then  went  over  to  the  hospital.  The  dead  were 
being  coffined  and  carried  out,  while  others  took  their 
places.  Heroic  efforts  were  being  made  to  keep  the 
hospital  and  bedding  clean.  Mr.  Sawyer  had  made  the 
best  arrangements  possible,  under  the  circumstances,  fcr 
nursing,  washing,  cleaning  quarters,  etc.,  and  it  was  n 
surprise  to  me  how  well  the  attendants  did.  To  change 
bedding  and  attend  to  the  necessities  of  a  long  room 
full  of  men  in  the  agonies  of  the  fatal  disease  required 
attentive  and  intelligent  work.  Burial  parties  were  un- 
der way,  and  I  rode  over  to  the  cemetery  and  found  the 
grave-diggers  already  at  work  under  a  foreman.  I  am 
writing  now  of  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  August.     The 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  207 

doctor  and  his   family  had   gone;   fifteen  had   died   on 
the  3d,  and  probably  fifty  were  under  treatment. 

In  writing  this  I  would  like  to  refer  less  frequently 
to  myself,  but  I  only  tell  what  came  under  my  own  ob- 
servation— what  I  saw  or  knew  of.  I  went  to  Mr.  Saw- 
yer and  reported  the  status  of  affairs  as  I  saw  them.  He 
and  Martin  would  attend  to  the  burial  of  the  major,  Mrs. 
Armistead,  Mrs.  Wood  and  her  two  children.  Leaving 
Sawyer,  I  went  to  the  dispensary  in  the  hospital  to  get 
from  the  steward  a  bottle  each  of  brandy  and  port  wine 
to  carry  with  me  on  my  rounds  among  the  camps.  The 
steward  introduced  me  to  a  young  man  who  had  just 
come  in  on  horseback,  Doctor  Whitehorn.  He  came 
from  Dyer's  Bridge,  nineteen  miles  east,  near  which  he 
bad  a  claim.  For  fear  of  doubts  of  his  being  a  doctor, 
he  was  showing  the  steward  his  diploma  and  other  testi- 
monials, including  a  letter  from  Mr.  D}^er.  He  was  a 
light-built,  wiry,  sunburned  youth,  and  carried  on  his 
saddle  the  old-fashioned  doctor's  saddle-bags.  I  told 
him  that  Mr.  Sawyer  was  now  at  the  head  of  affairs,  bur. 
that  I  would  introduce  him  and  then  show  him  around, 
which  I  did,  and  he  was  warmly  welcomed.  Cholera  was 
a  new  disease  to  the  doctor,  and  he  was  very  young;  but 
he  was  cool,  quiet,  self-reliant,  intelligent,  and  pos- 
sessed good  judgment.  When  he  entered  the  hospital, 
word  passed  from  one  to  another,  "We  have  a  doctor/"' 
and  this  had  a  good  effect.  He  soon  impressed  them 
very  favorably.  A  spoonful  of  brandy  or  port  wine  by 
the  doctor's  order  would  do  more  good  than  from  me. 

14- 


208  FI7E  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

T  spent  the  forenoon  with  him,  and  showed  him  the 
quarters,  camps,  etc. 

I  then  rode  to  my  teamster  camp  on  the  Bepublican 
Kiver  during  the  afternoon,  and  found  all  well.  Towards 
evening,  while  riding  around,  I  stopped  to  talk  with  a 
3  0ung  stone-cutter  from  St.  Louis.  I  had  often  talked 
with  him  and  liked  him.  Major  Armistead  had  selected 
a  stone  to  be  put  up  at  his  wife's  grave,  and  this  young 
man  was  cutting  the  letters  and  figures  on  it.  He 
seemed  well  and  said  that  he  felt  so,  but  he  was  not  as 
cheerful  as  usual  and  I  tried  to  encourage  him.  The 
next  morning  this  handsome  young  fellow  joined  those 
on  the  side  of  the  hill  beyond  the  deep  ravine.  I  men- 
tion this  instance  to  show  how  suddenly  and  unexpect- 
edly the  strongest  and  best  were  taken  away.  I  do  not 
know  just  how  many  died  this  day,  but  about  the  same 
number  as  on  August  3d.  Miss  Fox,  step-daughter  of 
Foragemaster  Lowe,  was  among  those  who  died  on  th^ 
4th.  I  am'  sorry  that  I  do  not  remember  the  names  of 
the  men  who  worked  day  and  night  to  help  those  who 
could  not  help  themselves. 

George  W.  McLain,  a  newspaper  man  of  Weston, 
Mo.,  was  driving  through  the  country  in  a  buggy,  and 
came  into  Fort  Eiley  from  Council  Grove.  On  asking 
for  the  commanding  officer,  he  learned  that  he  was 
dead.  He  found  me,  and  I  advised  him  to  drive  on 
and  to  hold  his  breath  until  miles  away.  He  seemed 
inclined  to  do  that,  but  could  not  resist  the  temp- 
tation of  getting  items  enough  to  write  up  the  con- 
ditions.    As  we  passed  a  small  house   on  our  way   to 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  209 

his  buggy  we  heard  a  female  voice  in  great  distress. 
On  going  in,  we  saw  a  woman,  wife  of  a  corporal 
who  was  away  with  his  company,  apparently  in  the 
agonies  of  death.  On  a  bed,  with  hands,  feet  and  limbs 
cramped,  and  a  frenzied  expression,  she  was  a  terrible 
picture.  She  had  been  ill  but  a  short  time.  There 
was  no  one  to  help  her — a  woman  could  not  be  found 
to  attend  her.  McLain  took  off  his  coat  and  hat,  laid 
them  on  a  chair,  rolled  up  his  sleeves  and  went  to  the 
stove,  where  there  was  a  kettle  with  warm  water  in  it 
— in  short,  took  an  inventory  of  the  surroundings.  1 
went  to  the  hospital  for  brandy  and  port  wine,  and  when 
I  returned  McLain  was  rubbing  the  woman  vigorously 
and  talking  to  her  in  the  most  cheerful  manner;  told 
her  he  was  a  doctor  and  would  surely  cure  her.  No 
woman  could  have  handled  her  better  than  he  did,  and, 
being  a  strong  man,  he  was  not  easily  tired.  He  gave 
her  some  brandy,  and  turning  to  me,  said  in  a  low  tone: 
"Lowe,  my  heart  is  in  this  thing.  This  woman,  with- 
out a  friend  within  reach,  her  husband  serving  his  coun- 
try in  the  Army,  must  not  be  left  here  to  die.  She  is 
going  to  live;  I'll  see  that  she  does/'  Turning  to  her, 
he  said :  "I  '11  wait  on  you  all  night  and  all  day  to- 
rn orrow,  until  you  are  well." 

I  left  him  in  a  few  minutes,  had  his  team  cared  for, 
sent  him  something  to  eat,  and  called  early  the  next 
morning.  The  woman  was  asleep,  and  McLain  said  that 
her  symptoms  were  good.  She  got  well.  If  she  had  not 
thought  him  a  doctor,  the  shock  would  have  been  fatal. 
This  man  afterwards  became  very  prominent.     He  was 


210  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

known  throughout  the  country  as  General  George  Wash- 
ington McLain,  started  newspapers,  and  was  always  a 
correspondent.  He  was  generous  when  plenty  smiled, 
and  patient  when  poverty  stalked  abroad,  and  after  a 
life  of  ups  and  downs,  he  balanced  his  accounts,  paid  off 
all  his  earthly  debts  and  passed  to  his  reward  a  few  years 
ago  in  Leadville,  Colo.  He  had  lived  much  at  the  nation- 
al capital,  knew  the  prominent  men  from  every  State  in 
the  Union,  and  had  friends  everywhere.  He  possessed  a 
brilliant  mind,  and  with  an  unlimited  fund  of  information, 
was  a  most  charming  companion.  I  never  knew  his 
lineage,  but  the  blood  that  coursed  through  his  heart  and 
fed  his  brain  was  not  of  the  common  sort.  Whatever  hh 
faults,  and  he  had  them,  he  deserved  a  better  fate  than 
than  that  which  overtook  him.  His  virtues  covered  his 
faults  miles  deep. 

Hopkins  improved.  I  firmly  believe  that  much  of 
the  sickness  was  caused  by  mental  trouble — the  horrors 
of  the  surroundings.  There  were  not  so  many  deaths 
on  the  5th  as  on  the  3d  or  4th,  but  a  good  many.  The 
outlook  was  better.  We  had  lost  150  or  more  men  by 
desertion.  All  discordant  elements  were  now  gone,  and 
we  were  getting  used  to  working  together. 

We  had  a  good  deal  of  pine  tar  in  barrels,  brought  to 
the  post  to  mix  with  gravel  as  a  covering  for  the  stable 
roofs.  Someone  suggested  that  it  was  a  good  disinfect- 
ant, and  on  the  evenings  of  August  4th  and  5th,  when  a 
gentle  south  wind  favored,  we  had  fires  built  where  the 
fumes  and  smoke  would  float  into  the  open  windows,  and 
burned  tar  at  all  of  them.    Whether  this  did  much  good 


212  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

or  not,  it  counteracted  offensive  odors.  The  doctor 
thought  well  of  it.  The  night  of  the  5th  I  slept  well 
on  the  top  of  the  safes.  There  were  not  so  many 
new  cases  reported  the  morning  of  the  6th,  and  every 
good  report  gave  renewed  hope.  As  the  6th  wore  on  I 
thought  it  time  to  hear  something  from  the  message 
sent  by  Orton.  Down  the  road  I  saw  a  four-mule  Govern- 
ment ambulance  a  mile  and  a  half  away.  I  knew  it  must 
contain  a  doctor  and  probably  an  officer,  and  I  galloped 
down  to  meet  it.  Just  before  I  met  the  ambulance  my 
horse  sprang  suddenly  to  one  side  and  came  near  throwing 
me.  He  was  frightened  by  a  dead  negro,  who  had  died  of 
cholera  and  been  buried  in  a  shallow  grave,  and  the 
wolves  had  dug  him  up  and  pulled  him  into  a  leaning 
posture,  his  body  mostly  uncovered  and  one  arm  raised 
above  his  head.  He  was  a  horrible-looking  sight.  This 
had  been  the  camp  of  the  Government  hay  contractors, 
Messrs.  Dyer  &  Co.;  the  negro  was  their  cook.  All  the 
other  members  of  the  party  had  left  for  their  homes 
in  Clay  County,  Missouri. 

The  ambulance  contained  Lieutenant  Carr,  now  Gen- 
eral Eugene  Carr,  retired  and  Dr.  Samuel  Phillips,*  my 
room-mate  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  a  young  contract  doctor. 

*Dr.  Phillips  volunteered  for  this  duty  to  General  E.  V. 
Sumner,  then  commanding  Fort  Leavenworth,  every  one 
of  the  many  young  physicians  practicing  in  the  city  at 
Leavenworth  declining  this  service.  For  this  professional 
work  Dr.  Phillips  was  paid  by  General  Sumner  less  than  forty 
dollars,  though  his  inclinations  to  pay  him  a  much  larger  sum 
were  the  best.  It  was  all  he  had  at  his  disposal.  Dr.  Phillips 
continues  to  practice  his  profession  in  the  city  of  Leavenworth, 
and  is  a  vigorous  man  for  his  advanced  years. — Editor. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  213 

1  never  was  more  pleased  to  see  a  man  in  my  life.  Carr 
I  knew  as  a  young  officer  en  route  to  New  Mexico  the 
year  before.  I  was  anxious  for  a  commanding  officer 
with  authority.  The  discretionary  power  of  the  military 
commander  is  very  great,  no  matter  what  his  rank.  If 
not  hampered  with  instructions,  he  can  often  do  what  a 
man  with  less  power  would  hesitate  to  do.  I  have  always 
admired  a  man  who  would  not  hesitate  to  take  responsi- 
bility. Lieutenant  Garr  was  not  sent  to  replace  Major 
Ogden  permanently,  but  to  take  charge  in  the  emergen- 
cy and  do  whatever  a  good  officer  could  do  under  the 
stress  of  circumstances.  These  remarks  apply  also  to 
Phillips.  No  better  man  could  have  been  selected  for 
such  an  emergency.  While  Carr  received  from  Sawyer 
an  account  of  the  situation,  Phillips  proceeded  at  once 
to  the  hospital,  met  Doctor  Wnitehom,  and  went  from 
place  to  place  to  examine  the  sick.  The  medical  depart- 
ment was  now  under  Phillips'  control — it  had  a  head 
with,  authority.  To  show  the  effects  of  confidence  in 
a  doctor,  good  nursing  and  encouragement,  each  day 
brought  fewer  cases,  men  settled  down  to  work  more 
cheerfully,  until  there  was  no  more  cholera.  I  do  not 
know  how  many  died — in  fact,  I  think  I  never  did  know, 
but  the  number  was  not  lees  than  75  nor  probably  more 
than  100.  Of  the  men  who  left  in  the  excitement,  a 
few  were  known  to  have  died.  I  presume  the  records 
show  all  who  left,  all  who  died  at  the  post,  and  all  who 
remained. 

The  post,  since  its  establishment,  had  been  supplied 
with  water  from  the  Kaw  Eiver,  just  below  the  junc- 


214  FIV®  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

lion  of  the  Smoky  Hill  and  Republican.  The  Smoky 
Hill  was  milky  and  brackish,  the  Republican  clear.  The 
two  mingled  where  the  water  was  dipped  up.  On  the 
morning  of  the  2d  I  went  with  the  water-wagon  and 
showed  the  men  where  they  would  get  water  until 
further  notice.  Surely  the  Republican  was  clear  and 
pure;  but  feeling  some  delicacy  about  assuming  author- 
ity in  a  matter  of  so  much  importance  as  the  water 
supply,  I  took  a  jug  full  from  each  place,  and  one  from 
a  large  spring,  to  Doctor  Simmons,  and  asked  him  to 
examine  and  see  which  was  best.  He  seemed  in  great 
distress  about  his  family,  and  said  that  he  could  give 
me  no  advice.  Sawyer,  Hopkins,  Clarkson  and  Martin 
thought  it  a  good  move,  and  often  afterwards  ex- 
pressed the  opinion  that,  while  the  water  formerly  used 
did  not  cause  the  cholera,  the  Republican  water  was 
much  safer  and  probably  had  something  to  do  with  re- 
storing health.  For  several  nights  before  the  cholera 
broke  out,  and  continuing  to  the  night  of  the  3d,  we 
had  violent  storms  of  rain,  thunder  and  lightning,  last- 
ing several  hours  and  ending  about  midnight.  One 
would  think  that  this  would  purify  the  air — perhaps  it 
did.  I  do  not  suggest  that  the  cholera  grew  out  of  it, 
but  merely  mention  it  as  a  peculiar  circumstance.  No 
doubt  the  germs  of  the  disease  were  brought  originally 
with  the  men. 

Near  a  spring  west  of  where  Junction  City  now  is, 
two  men  were  attending  a  lime-kiln.  On  August  5th  I 
sent  a  team  over  after  a  load  of  lime.  A  little  Ger- 
man from  Herman,  Mo.   (I  cannot  remember  his   full 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  215 

name — Henry,  we  called  him),  one  of  the  most  faith- 
ful men  I  ever  knew,  drove  the  team.  As  he  did  not 
come  in  as  soon  as  I  expected,  I  rode  down  to  the  river 
about  dark  and  met  him  coming  across.  He  said  that- 
one  man  was  "bad  sick"  when  he  got  there.  He  helped 
the  other  man  care  for  the  sick  one  until  he  died.  They 
put  the  dead  man  in  the  wagon  and  started,  and  the 
other  one  was  now  sick.  The  teamster  had  to  stop 
many  times  to  help  the  sick  man,  who  "go  died"  just 
before  the  team  reached  the  river.  The  poor  teamster 
was  greatly  distressed,  and  apologized  for  not  bringing 
the  lime.  He  had  volunteered  to  go  because  the  lime- 
burners  were  his  friends,  and  he  wanted  to  see  how 
they  were  getting  along.  He  lived  through  and  con- 
veyed the  dying  messages  of  the  two  to  their  friends. 
From  day  to  day  there  was  improvement,  work 
went  on  in  all  departments,  and  more  men  were  sent 
from  v  Fort  Leavenworth  to  itake  the  places  of  those 
who  died  or  deserted.  Lieutenant  Corle\',  Sixth  In- 
fantry, relieved  Lieutenant  Garr,  and  by  the  1st  of  Sep- 
tember everything  was  in  full  blast  and  work  progress- 
ing rapidly.  Some  building  supplies  were  needed  and 
work  would  be  retarded  unless  they  were  brought  quick- 
ly. I  was  ordered  to  take  thirtv-six  mule  teams  and  go 
after  them.  I  got  the  order  at  three  o'clock  n.  m.  The 
wagons  were  all  dismantled,  covers  and  bows  stored  away, 
and  the  beds  arranged  for  hauling  stone,  sand,  lime, 
wood,  brick,  or  any  sort  of  building  material.  By  sun- 
set I  had  thirty  wagons  full  rigged,  thirty  of  the  best 


216  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

mule   teams  ready  to  hitch   to  them,   and  rations   and 
forage  drawn,  all  ready  to  start. 

An  expressman  started  about  that  time  with  requi- 
sition for  the  supplies  that  I  was  to  bring,  and  I  told 
him  to  say  to  the  shipping  clerk  at  Fort  Leavenworth 
that  I  would  not  be  long  behind  him,  and  would  start 
back  as  soon  as  I  could  load,  and  to  please  have  the 
loading  so  arranged  that  there  would  be  no  delay.  I 
wrote  a  note  to  my  friend,  Levi  Wilson,  general  super- 
intendent, requesting  him  to  look  a  little  after  the 
requisition,  because  several  hundred  men  might  be  de- 
layed more  or  less  on  the  work  at  Fort  Riley,  and  I 
wanted  to  make  a  trip  that  would  beat  any  record  for 
moving  six-mule  teams.  The  expressman  laughed  at 
the  idea  of  my  reaching  our  common  destination  soon 
after  he  did.  I  started  at  sunrise  the  next  morning 
and  camped  in  Salt  Creek  Valley,  three  miles  from  Fort 
Leavenworth,  the  third  evening  — 127  miles  in  three 
days — about  42  miles  per  dav.  I  rode  to  the  post  that 
evening,  only  twenty-four  hours  behind  the  expressman; 
and  he  had  started  eleven  hours  ahead  of  me  on  a  good 
saddle-mule.  I  spent  the  evening  with  friends  talking 
over  the  exciting  events  at  Fort  Riley,  of  which  they 
bad  heard  many  exaggerated  accounts.  I  had  been  re- 
ported dead  of  cholera  at  one  time  and  killed  by  a  mob 
at  another.  I  returned  to  camp  at  midnight,  and  at 
seven  o'clock  the  next  morning  was  loading  at  the  ware- 
houses and  steamboat  landing,  and  by  four  in  the  after- 
noon I  was  back  in  Salt  Creek  Valley,  heavily  loaded. 
There  was  much  talk  that  day  about  the  quick  trip  I 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON-  217 

had  made,  and  everybody  expected  to  see  the  mules  in 
bad  condition,  and  was  surprised  to  see  a  fine  lot  of 
mules  and  active,  wide-awake  teamsters — no  one  hang- 
ing back  in  a  tired  way,  but  all  pushing  and  trying  to 
help  along.  I  rolled  out  of  Salt  Creek  Valley  the  next 
morning,  and  before  sunset  of  the  fourth  day  parked 
my  train  at  Fort  Eiley.  having  made  about  thirty-two 
miles  per  day.  The  mules  were  turned  into  the  herd 
up  the  Eepublican,  tired  but  uninjured.  We  had  been 
eight  days  and  seven  nights  traveling  260  miles,  includ- 
ing loading.  No  one  expected  me  for  two  davs  more, 
and  the  fact  that  no  mules  were  killed  or  injured,  be- 
yond being  tired,  which  they  would  make  up  in  a  week's 
rest,  was  a  surprise. 

Government  teams  generally  make  one  drive  per 
day.  I  have  seldom  met  an  Army  man  who  did  not  in- 
sist upon  doing  his  day's  work,  long  or  short,  and  then 
going  into  camp.  I  had  learned  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail 
how  Aubrey,  Bent,  Maxwell  and  all  the  Mexican  freight- 
ers worked  their  teams — two  and  three  drives  a  day.  To 
drive  teams  with  empty  wagons  forty-two  miles  a  day, 
or  loaded  thirty-two  miles  a  day,  would  soon  ruin  them, 
if  the  drives  were  continuous.  Having  made  about  one- 
half  of  my  day's  drive,  I  halted,  took  off  harness,  and 
turned  the  mules  loose  with  lariats  on,  but  without 
picket-pins.  They  rolled,  drank  freely,  and  grazed  an 
hour,  while  the  men  ate  dinner.  Arrived  in  camp  for 
the  night,  the  mules  were  turned  loose  again  the  same 
way,  and  before  dark  were  caught  up,  fed  corn,  and 
picketed  for  the  night.     The  first  thing  in  the  morning 


218  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

they  were  watered,  then  fed  com,  and,  breakfast  over, 
were  hitched  un  and  started  usually  by  sunrise.  No 
corn  was  fed  at  noon,  but  the  grass  was  fine  and  much 
better  for  them.  On  the  evening  of  my  return  I  showed 
the  quartermaster  and  Mr.  Sawyer  mv  memorandum  of 
the  contents  of  each  wagon — each  numbered  and  its  con- 
tents put  down  under  the  number.  From  this  they  knew 
where  each  wagon  should  be  unloaded. 

From  this  time  there  seemed  to  be  no  check,  de- 
ficit, or  friction:  a  sort  of  steady  discipline,  rare  among 
large  numbers  of  men  of  various  trades  in  civil  life,  pro- 
vailed  all  the  wav  through,  and  all  that  could  be  ex- 
pected was  accomplished.  Undoubtedly  the  retained  pay 
had  a  steadying  influence,  but  I  think  that  after  the 
exodus,  during  the  prevalence  of  cholera,  there  was  a 
remarkably  good  set  of  men  left.  I  have  alwavs  thought 
that  sending  the  -troops  away  during  the  building  of  the 
post  was  a  mistake.  Taking  500  men  there  who  were 
governed  only  by  self-interest,  with  no  law  to  curb  the 
bad  element  sure  to  exist  in  any  body  of  men,  seemed 
to  be  not  a  wise  move,  when  Armistead  and  Wood,  with 
their  companies,  could  just  as  well  have  remained  in  the 
vicinity,  changing  camp  from  time- to  time,  and  been 
within  call  if  needed. 

I  will  now  refer  bri3fly  to  the  Ogden  monument. 
The  original  was  designed  by  Mr.  Sawyer,  and  prepared 
and  erected  by  quarrymen,  stone-cutters,  laborers  and 
teamsters,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Sawyer  and  my- 
self, without  other  cost  to  the  Government  than  the  pay 
of  the  men  while  the  work  was  being  done.    The  stone 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  219 

was  of  the  kind  used  in  the  buildings  of  Fort  Riley.  In 
time,  neither  the  Government  nor  anyone  else  heeding 
it,  cattle  made  of  it  a  rubbing-post,  vandals  chipped 
pieces  from  it  and  scratched  their  names  on  it,  and  it 
became  a  wreck.  It  was  not  expected  to  be  permanent, 
the  hope  of  the  builders  being  that  it  would  be  replaced 
with  something  worthy  of  the  man  whose  memory  it 
was  intended  to  perpetuate  —  commensurate  with  his 
ability  and  devotion  to  duty;  a  monitor  to  all  entrusted 
with  the  care  and  control  of  others.  Another  shaft  was 
afterward  erected,  much  better  than  the  original,  but 
not  what  it  ought  to  have  been.  I  do  not  know  how 
nor  where  the  money  was  raised,  nor  under  whose  direc- 
tion it  was  put  up.  This,  too,  was  neglected,  left  a 
rubbing-post  for  cattle  after  the  wooden  fence  around 
it  rotted  down;  and  vain  simpletons,  who  like  to  "see 
their  names  and  faces  in  all  public  places,"  defaced 
the  stone. 

In  1887  General  James  W.  Forsyth,  then  colonel  of 
the  Seventh  Cavalry,  took  command  of  Fort  Riley.  He 
had  never  known  Major  Ogden,  and  until  I,  while  on 
a  visit  to  Fort  Riley,  told  him  the  story  of  the  death 
of  Ogden  and  the  erection  of  the  shaft,  he  did  not  know 
its  history.  He  then  knew  that  it  .was  in  memory  of 
a  brother  officer  who  died  at  his  post  in  the  discharge 
of  duty  under  the  most  trving  circumstances,  and  he 
took  prompt  measures  to  preserve  it.  He  secured  a 
small  allowance  from  the  Quartermaster's  Department 
with  which,  and  some  labor  within  his  control,  he  had 


220 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON- 


it  repaired — scratches  worked  out  and  a  permanent  iron 
fence  put  around  it. 

About  the  1st  of  November,  Major  Ogden's  remains 
were  disinterred  and  shipped  to  Unadilla,  New  York, 
where    they    now    rest    under    a    beautiful    monument 


Monument  of  Major  E.  A.  Ogden,  Quartermaster  U.  S. 
Army,  Located  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  in  1855. 

erected  by  his  brother  officers  and  friends.     Requiescat 
in  pace. 

A  part  of  the  Second  Dragoons  came  up  from  Texas 
in  October,  1855.  Colonel  Cooke  came  in  from  the 
Harney  expedition  against  the  Sioux,  with  more  of  the 
Second  Dragoons,  to  take  command  of  the  post.  On 
the  15th  of  November,  all  of  the  workmen  who  were 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


221 


entitled  to  be  paid  off  and  transported  back  to  St.  Louis 
and  Cincinnati  loaded  their  effects  into  wagons  that  T 
had  ready  for  them — fifty  six-mule  wagons — and  in  four 
days  I  landed  them  on  the  levee  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 
where  boats  were  waiting  to  take  them  away. 


PART  VI. 

AND  now  tho  Kansas  War  was  on.  I  was  acting 
post  wagonmaster  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  when 
one  night  in  May,  about  10  o'clock,  Lieutenant  J.  E.  B. 
Stuart,  regimental  quartermaster,  First  Cavalry,  rode 
in  with  a  requisition  for  forage  and  rations  for  Colonel 
Sumner's  command,  camped  southwest  of  Westport,  Mis- 
souri. He  had  ridden  from  there,  thirty-four  miles, 
since  noon.  The  command  would  be  out  of  forage  and 
provisions  the  next  day,  and  the  order  was  to  have  the 
supplies  there  in  time  for  issue  the  day  after.  I  was 
instructed  to  have  teams  in  from  the  nearest  train, 
camped  nine  miles  south,  as  early  as  possible.  I  sent 
word  to  the  watchman  at  the  stable  to  bring  my  horse 
and  wake  me  at  2  o'clock,  which  he  did. 

At  3:30  in  the  morning  I  was  in  nine-mile  camp, 
breakfasted  and  started  back  at  4:30,  and  before  7  we 
were  loading  at  the  forage  yard  and  commissary.  At 
9  o'clock  the  train  started  down  the  road.  We  arrived  at 
nine-mile  camp,  fed  and  watered  the  mules,  and  lunched 
and  at  1 :30  were  on  the  road  again.  I  did  not  expect  to 
go  any  further,  but  Stuart  came  along  just  then  and  said 
the  quartermaster  had  left  it  with  him,  and  he  wanted 
me  to  stay  with  him  all  the  way  through,  which  I  did. 
The  roads  were  exceedingly  bad  the  last  few  miles  be- 
fore reaching  the  ferry,  and  it  was  dark  when  we  got 
the  last  wagon  over  the  Kaw.  The  way  to  Colonel  Sum- 
ner's  camp   was    over   a   crooked   road   little    traveled, 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


223 


much  of  the  way  through  timber  and  mud  holes,  with 
no  bridges  over  creeks  and  deep  gullies.  Fortunately, 
the  moon  gave  a  dim  light.  Several  wagons  were  upset, 
several  trees  had 
to  be  cut  down 
where  the  road 
was  too  narrow 
and  crooked,  and 
in  many  places 
limbs  must  be 
cut  to  give  room 
for  wagons  to 
pass.  In  short, 
at  1  a.  m.,  af- 
ter the  most  in- 
cessant toil,  we 
camped  near  Col- 

0  n  e  1  Sumner's 
command.  I  rode 
with  Stuart  to 
head  quarters, 
where  he  re- 
ported his  arri- 
val with  train 
and  supplies.  He 
loaned  me  a  pair 
of  blankets,  and  we  bath  lay  down  in  his  tent  for  a  nap. 

1  was  nearly  worn  out.     Stuart  had  been  a  quiet  witness 

*James  E.  B.  Stuart  was  born  in  Virginia  and  graduated 
from  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  in  1854.  He  was 
then  promoted  brevet  second  lieutenant  of  United  States  Mount- 

15— 


General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart.* 


224  FlVE   VBARB  A  DRAGOON. 

of  a  very  hard  struggle,  and  but  for  his  piloting  we 
should  not  gotten  there  that  night,  for  he  was  the  only 
one  of  the  party  who  had  been  over  the  road. 

At  sunrise  I  started  for  my  camp  about  two  miles 
out  and  overtook  Lieutenant  Kansom,  late  General  Ran- 
som of  the  Confederate  Army,  and  said  "Good  morning,"' 
calling  his  name.  He  looked  at  me  very  sharply  and 
returned  my  greeting  pleasantly  enough,  but  I  thought 
coolly,  as  we  were  on  the  best  of  terms.  I  asked  where 
he  was  going  so  early,  and  he  said  "To  Fort  Leaven- 
worth." I  replied  that  I  was  going  there  too.  Just  then 
we  crossed  a  clear  stream  of  water,  I  dismounted,  dropped 
my  horse's  rein,  and  remarked  that  I  would  bathe  a 
little  and  overtake  him.  He  looked  askance  at  me  and 
turned  off  to  ride  up  to  a  group  of  officers'  tents  on  the 

ed  Riflemen  and  reported  to  his  regiment  in  Texas.  In  March 
1855  he  was  promoted  second  lieutenant  of  the  First  United 
States  Cavalry  (now  the  Fourth),  and  served  as  quartermaster 
of  that  regiment  from  July  1855  until  May  1857.  He  became 
first  lieutenant  of  the  First  Cavalry  in  December  1855,  and 
captain  in  April  1861. 

In  May  1861  he  resigned  and  accepted  a  commission  in 
the  Confederate  service  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  a  Virginia  reg- 
iment. His  promotion  in  the  Confederate  army  was  rapid, 
and  he  was  a  lieutenant-general  commanding  the  cavalry  of 
General  Lee's  army  when  he  received  his  mortal  wound  at 
Yellow  Tavern.     He  died  May  12,  1864. 

Stuart  saw  varied  and  active  service  during  the  time  that 
he  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  First  United  States  Cavalry.  He 
was  in  several  expeditions  and  combats  with  various  Indian 
tribes,  and  was  severely  wounded  in  a  fight  with  the  Cheyen- 
nes  in  1857.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  Kansas  disturb- 
ances of  the  fifties,  and  was  in  Colonel  Albert  Sidney  Johnston's 
Utah  Expedition  in  1858.  He  was  at  home  on  leave  of  absence 
in  1859,  and  accompanied  Colonel  Robert  E.  Lee  as  a  volun- 
teer aide-de-camp  in  the  expedition  to  suppress  John  Brown's 
Raid. 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  225 

hill  near  by.  In  a  clump  of  willows  I  took  a  pretty- 
good  bath,  wiped  myself  with  a  towel  that  I  carried  in 
my  holster,  combed  my  hair  and  whiskers  with  my  fin- 
gers,  and  went  on  to  the  group  of  tents  where  Ransom 
had  stopped.  With  him  were  several  officers  in  front  of 
a  tent,  seemingly  paying  considerable  attention  to  me. 
As  I  rode  up  they  all  laughed  heartily.  The  joke  seemed 
to  be  on  Ransom.  He  said  that  he  had  no  idea  who  I 
was,  but  that  I  was  the  hardest  looking  man  he  ever 
saw.  I  was  haggard  and  weary  from  want  of  sleep,  my 
hands  and  face  were  black  with  dust  and  mud,  my 
clothes  muddy  from  head  to  foot,  and  my  horse  and 
equipment  no  better.  Ransom's  description  of  me  was 
weird  indeed,  and  he  declared  that  he  was  afraid  to 
ride  with  me.  He  had  started  without  arms,  and  called 
on  Lieutenant  Johnson  to  borrow  a  pistol.  Now  that  I 
was  cleaned  up  a  little  they  all  knew  me.  At  my  camp 
we  got  some  breakfast  and  rode  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
where  we  arrived  about  2  o'clock.  I  was  as  good  as 
new  the  next  day. 

Things  kept  getting  worse  in  Kansas;  marching 
columns  and  guerrilla  bands,  of  both  parties  (Pro-Slavery 
and  Free  State)  were  moving  about  all  along  the  border. 
Outrages  were  committed  by  both  parties,  but  the  worst 
feature  of  the  warfare  was  the  raids  on  homes,  osten- 
sibly for  political  reasons,  really  very  often  for  robbery 
and  plunder.  It  seemed  necessary  to  keep  United  States 
troops  in  camps  and  on  the  move  as  protection  to  good 
citizens  of  both  parties  and  to  keep  the  threatening 
columns  apart.    United  States  troops  were  stationed  near 


226  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Westport,  Franklin,  Prairie  or  Baldwin  City,  Lecomp- 
ton, etc.  These  camps  were  headquarters  from  which 
troops  could  move  quickly  when  necessary,  and  must 
be  supplied  every  ten  days  with  forage  and.  provisions. 
Something  like  100  wagons  were  required  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  I  was  detailed  by  the  quartermaster,  Major 
Sibley,  to  look  after  them.  Most  of  the  supplies  went 
by  Lawrence,  crossing  the  ferry  there,  when  the  wagons 
for  Franklin  were  sent  off  under  an  assistant  wagon- 
master,  those  for  Baldwin  City  under  another,  and  those 
for  Lecompton,  the  largest  command,  under  another,  etc. 

After  crossing  at  Lawrence,  I  generally  went  on  to 
Lecompton,  ten  miles,  and  after  finishing  there,  rode 
across  country  to  other  camps  if  necessary,  returning  to 
Lawrence  about  the  time  the  wagons  from  different 
points  reached  there,  and  then  to  Fort  Leavenworth  for 
another  ten  days'  supply.  While  the  teams  were  not 
overworked,  I  was  very  much  so.  I  never  worked  so 
hard  and  so  continuously  from  May  to  October  as  I  did 
this  season;  five  months  of  exposure  and  overwork,  which 
would  have  ruined  any  man  of  weak  constitution;  and 
it  nearly  ruined  me. 

The  Last  trip  I  started  on  was  with  a  train  of  sup- 
plies for  some  troops  opposite  Topeka.  Having  deliv- 
ered them  I  was  to  ride  across  to  Lecompton  and  then 
to  Lawrence.  The  train  under  Mr.  Beery  started  early, 
but  I  did  not  get  off  until  afternoon.  I  was  ill  enough 
to  be  in  bed,  but  said  nothing  of  it.  I  rode  alone,  and 
was  so  sick  that  I  could  scarcely  sit  my  horse,  and  afraid 
to  dismount  lest  I  could  not  mount  again.    In  this  con- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


227 


dition  I  arrived  at  a  house  on  Stranger  Creek,  east  of 
the  crossing  near  Easton.  I  did  not  know  the  people, 
but  dismounted,  staggered  into  the  house,  and  was  un- 
conscious. About  8  o'clock  the  next  morning  I  opened 
my  eyes  and  recognized  the  woman  standing  over  me 
bathing  my  temples  and  forehead  as  the  one  I  had  seen 
when  I  dismounted.  I  felt  a  little  light  headed,  but  my 
mind  was  clear.  I  imagined,  however,  that  I  had  been 
there  three  days,  from  Tuesday  to  Friday. 

The  supplies  in  the  train 
were  for  two  commands  some 
distance  apart,  and  I  had  the 
papers,  invoices,  number  of. 
wagons  to  go  to  each  place, 
the  contents  of  each  wagon, 
etc.  The  wagonmaster  knew 
nothing  about  the  distribu- 
tion of  goods,  and,  if  this  was 
Friday,  they  were  a  day  be- 
hind and  there  would  be  con- 
fusion. However,  I  soon 
learned  that  my  idea  of  the 
time  I  had  been  there  was 
but  a  delirium,  and  this  was  Gen.  Edwin  V.  Sumner.* 
Wednesday  morning.  I  had  been  there  from  5  o'clock 
Tuesday   to    8    o'clock   Wednesday.     This   good   woman 

*Edwin  Vose  Sumner  was  born  in  Boston  in  1797.  and 
educated  at  Milton  Academy.  He  was  appointed  second  lieu- 
tenant of  the  Second  Infantrv  in  March  18 1 9,  became  first  lieu- 
ten  ant  in  1823,  and  was  promoted  to  captain  First  Dragoons 
(now  First  Cavalry)  at  the  organization  of  that  regiment  in 
M  arch  1833.    in  1846  he  was  promoted  major  Second  Dragoons 


228  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

had  watched  over  me  all  night.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin 
Hefferlin  were  the  people,  and  I  might  have  died  but 
for  their  kindness.  My  fever  lasted  nearly  all  night, 
during  which  I  was  quite  violent,  requiring  close  atten- 
tion; and  now  I  was  nearly  helpless,  but  my  mind  was 
clear.  I  inquired  what  time  the  stage  for  Fort  Eiley 
would  pass,  and  Mrs.  Hefferlin  said  in  about  an  hour.  I 
bundled  up  mv  papers  and  memorandum  book,  wrote  a 
short  explanation  and  gave  it  to  the  stage  driver,  whom 
I  happened  to  know,  and  who  uromised  to  give  them  to 
the  wagonmaster.  I  found  I  could  not  ride,  and  re- 
turned to  the  fort  with  Lieutenant  Buford  (afterwards 
;  General  Buford)  who  was  en  route  from  Port  Eiley  in 
.  an  ambulance.  For  two  weeks  I  alternately  shook  with 
chills  and  burned  with  fever,  but  finally  pulled  out. 

(now  Second  Cavalry),  and  in  1843  lieutenant-colonel  First 
Dragoons;  and  when  the  First  Cavalry  (now  the  Fourth)  was 
created,  in  18-55,  he  was  appointed  its  colonel.  He  was  ap- 
pointed brigadier-general  in  March,  1861,  and  major-general 
of  volunteers  in  June  of  the  same  year.  He  died  in  March, 
1863. 

General  Sumner  had  his  share  of  wars.  He  distinguish- 
ed himself  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  took  part  in  numerous 
expeditions  against  Indians.  He  participated  in  every  en- 
gagement of  General  Scott's  army  in  its  advance  from  Vera 
Cruz  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  was  wounded  while  leading  a  cav- 
alry charge  at  Cerro  Gordo,  and  for  gallantry  in  holding 
back  "\000  Mexican  lancers  at  Molino  del  Rey,  was  brevetted 
colonel. 

In  the  Civil  War  he  commanded  the  First  Corps  of  the 

Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  was  in  about  all  the  battles  that 

army  engaged  in,  till  General  Hooker  was  placed  in  command 

f  it.     Thereupon  he  asked  to  be  relieved  and  was  ordered  to 

ommand  the  Department  of  Missouri,  but  he  died  suddenly 

while  on  his  way  to  his  station. 

He  was  twice  wounded  in  the  Seven  Days'  Battles  before 
Richmond,  and  received  his  fourth  battle- wound  at  Antietam. 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOOX.  229 

The  incidents  of  this  summer's  work  were  numerous, 
but  would  be  mostly  uninteresting  now.  The  history 
of  the  Kansas  War  has  been  written  by  many  able  penj, 
some  truthful  and  some  garbled  and  exaggerated.  My 
part  in  it  was  that  of  an  humble  employe  of  the  Gover^-* 
ment.  It  was  not  my  right  or  privilege  to  carry  the 
news  from  Lawrence,  the  Free  State  headquarters  to 
Leavenworth,  the  Pro  -  Slavery  headquarters,  nor  vice 
versa.  Of  course  a  great  deal  came  under  my  observa- 
tion that  might  have  been  useful  to  either  party,  but 
my  life  was  at  stake  every  day  if  I  became  a  news- 
bearer  in  either  direction.  Both  parties  contained  zealots 
and  enthusiasts  who  would  hesitate  at  nothing  to  crown 
themselves  with  glory  by  killing  some  one  on  the  other 
side.  Most  of  the  men  on  either  side  were  merely  strug- 
gling for  a  principle — whether  Kansas  should  be  a  fre.i 
or  a  slave  State — whether  they  should  build  homes,  as 
most  of  them  wanted  to,  in  a  free  or  a  slave  State;  and 
most  of  both  parties  were  honest,  and  willing  to  abidj 
the  result  of  a  fair  vote;  but  neither  could  shake  off  the 
element  that  joined  for  adventure,  for  revenge,  for  rob- 
bery, for  murder;  and  that  element  was  a  curse  to  both 
parties. 

I  was  present  at  Lecompton  when  the  compromise 
was  effected,  and  both  parties  settled  down  to  peace  in 
the  fall  of  1856.  Pro-Slavery  and  Free  State  agreed  to 
keep  the  peace  and  frown  down  every  disturbing  ele- 
ment. Captain  Sam  Walker  was  placed  in  command  of 
a  company  of  Free  State  men,  and  Captain  John  Wal- 
lace in  command  of  a  company  composed  of  the  best 


230  FWE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

element  of  the  Pro-Slavery  party— «Q  pledged  to  act 
together  for  the  common  good  and  the  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Territory.  Homes  became  safe,  murder 
and  arson  were  unpopular. 

One  lovely  Sabbath,  while  encamped  near  Lecomp- 
ton,  I  saw  half  a  dozen  houses  burning — all  belonging 
to  Free  State  people,  who  were  afraid  to  remain  at 
home  and  were  at  Lawrence.  Colonel  Cook  entrusted  to 
my  care  a  Free  State  minister  who  had  been  captured 
by  the  Pro-Slavery  party,  and  whose  home  was  near 
Leavenworth,  and  requested  me  to  see  that  he  got  home 
to  his  family.  He  was  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Byrd.  I  kept  him 
concealed  in  a  wagon,  and  he  got  home  safely,  was  in 
charge  of  the  Government  farm  at  Fort  Leavenworth 
during  the  Civil  War,  and  died  on  his  farm  near  Law- 
rence in  September,  1897. 

The  ferry  at  Lawrence  was  a  flat-boat  run  by  pul- 
leys on  a  rope  stretched  across  the  river  and  fastened 
to  a  tree  on  either  side  and  propelled  by  the  force  of 
the  current.  The  boat  was  not  large  enough  to  hold  a 
wagon  and  six  mules,  so  the  leaders  were  detached  from 
the  team  and  led  around  to  a  shallow  ford  higher  up 
stream,  where  one  miffht  cross  on  horseback  or  with 
loose  animals,  but  could  not  cross  wagons.  A  Frenchman, 
married  to  a  Delaware  woman  and  living  with  the  Del- 
aware Indians  on  the  north  side  #of  the  river,  built  a 
boat  and  stretched  a  rope;  and  when  I  came  along  one 
day  he  met  me  two  miles  north  of  the  ferry  and  wanted 
me  to  cross  some  of  my  wagons  on  his  boat.  I  galloped 
on  and  found  that  he  had  made  a  good  road  and  had  a 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  231 

good  boat  that  would  carry  a  wagon  and  six-mule  team, 
with  room  to  spare;  so  I  divided  the  train,  going  to  the 
new  ferry,  about  forty  rods  below  the  old  one,  myself 
with  Mr.  Lanier,  an  assistant  wagonmaster,  while  Mr. 
Beery  went  to  the  old  ferry.  Just  as  the  first  wagon 
got  on  the  ferry,  I  noticed  that  the  old  boat  was  on  the 
south  side  and  Beery  was  calling  the  ferryman.  As  we 
were  about  shoving  off,  the  man  who  ran  the  old  ferry 
called  to  me  not  to  attempt  to  cross  wagons  on  that 
(the  new)  ferry;  if  I  did,  he  would  cut  the  rope  and 
send  me  down  the  river;  and  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word,  he  caught  up  an  ax  and  started  at  a  run  for  the 
big  cottonwood  tree  where  the  rone  was  fastened.  We 
were  now  in  the  stream  and  rapidly  nearing  the  south 
bank.  Standing  on  the  front  of  the  boat  with  pistol 
ready,  I  warned  him  to  stop,  and  that  if  he  attempted 
to  cut  the  rope,  I  would  surely  kill  him. 

The  boat  landed  and  he  stopped  within  ten  feet  of 
the  tree.  I  ordered  him  back  to  his  boat,  at  the  same 
time  asking  him  what  he  meant.  He  declared  that  the 
Frenchman  had  no  charter  to  run  a  boat,  hence,  no 
right,  while  he  had  a  charter  from  the  Territorial  Leg- 
islature for  fifteen  years.  On  the  other  hand,  the  French- 
man claimed  that  the  Delawares  owned  the  land  on  the 
north  side,  and  had  just  as  much  right  to  land  on  the 
south  side  without  any  charter  as  the  other  fellow  had 
to  land  on  the  Delaware  reservation,  over  which  he  claim- 
ed that  the  Legislature  had  no  jurisdiction.  I  ended  the 
controversy  by  telling  the  Frenchman  to  cross  all  the 
wagons  he  could,  and  that  I  would  protect  him.    I  told 


Major-General  John   Buford.* 


*John  Buford  was  born  March  4,  1826,  in  Kentucky,  and 
graduated  from  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  in  1848. 
He  was  then  promoted  brevet  second  lieutenant  of  the  First 


FITS  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  233 

the  old  ferryman  to  get  his  boat  in  motion  quickly  or 
I  would  run  it  with  my  men,  and  that  the  ferry  which 
crossed  the  most  wagons  would  get  the  most  money.  As 
to  their  quarrel,  they  could  settle  that  before  the  courts 
or  any  other  place — I  knew  nothing,  nor  did  I  care- any- 
thing about  their  rights  or  the  law;  here  were  two  fer- 
ries, and  I  was  going  to  use  them.  I  had  the  teamster 
of  the  first  wagon  drive  close  to  the  tree  and  told  him  to 
shoot  any  one  attempting  to  approach  it ;  and  he,  that 
same   gentle,    auiet,   nervy   "Bill"    Curran,   would   have 

Dragoons,  and  the  next  year  second  lieutenant  of  the  Second 
Dragoons.  In  1833  he  became  first  lieutenant,  and  in  1859  cap- 
tain of  the  same  regiment.  In  1861  he  was  appointed  major  in 
the  Inspector  General's  Department,  brigadier-general  of  Vol- 
unteers in  1862,  and  major-general  of  Volunteers  on  the  16th 
December,  186H.  He  died  in  Washington  a  few  minutes  after 
his  major-general's  commission  was  placed  in  his  hand* 

There  are  no  names  upon  its  honor-roll  in  which  the 
American  cavalry  feel  a  keener  and  a  juster  pride  than  in  that 
of  General  Buford.  He  was  an  example  to  emulate  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  his  brilliant  but  too  short  career.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven. 

From  the  date  of  his  graduation  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War  he  was  constantly  and  actitvely  engaged  with  his 
regiment  on  the  Western  frontier  in  various  Indian  wars,  the 
Kansas  disturbances,  and  the  Utah  expedition.  As  an  in- 
spector he  remained  on  duty  about  the  defenses  of  Washing- 
ton during  the  first  year  of  the  war,  but  was  then  assigned  to 
the  duty  his  active  spirit  yearned  for— the  command  of  cavalry 
in  campaign.  He  was  severely  wounded  at  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  but  in  less  than  a  month  was  back  on  duty  as 
chief  of  cavalry  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  the  Maryland 
campaign.  A  history  of  this  cavalry  is  a  history  of  Buford 
from  the  time  he  joined  it  till  he  was  borne  away  from  it  to  die 
of  a  brief  illness. 

Buford  chose  the  field  for  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and 
with  his  cavalry  divison  held  back  Heth's  Confederate  infantry 
division  until  General  Reynolds  arrived  with  his  corps.  The 
Union  owes  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other  man,  its  victory  at 
Gettysburg.  - 


234  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

done  it  if  necessary.  Then  I  got  aboard  the  old  ferry 
and  gave  the  ferryman  one  more  chance  to  rum  his  own 
boat,  and  just  as  I  was  about  to  let  go,  he  and  his  man 
jumped  on.  He  was  sulky  and  threatened  to  report  me 
to   Colonel   Cook  at  Lecompton.     I  cut  him   off  short 

with  the  answer,  that  I  did  not  care  a  what  he 

did,  so  that  he  lost  no  time  with  the  ferry;  and  I  told 
Beery  to  push  things  with  the  new  ferry,  while  I  stayed 
with  the  old  one.  All  worked  with  a  will,  but  the  old 
ferry  lost  two  trips  to  start  with,  and  in  the  end  the 
new  ferry  had  six  wagons  the  most.  All,  more  than 
seventy  wagons,  were  crossed  in  time  to  camp  south  of 
town  before  dark,  whereas  without  the  new  ferry  half 
of  them  would  have  camped  in  the  bottom  north  of 
the  river. 

The  next  day,  after  finishing  my  business  at  the 
camp  at  Lecompton,  I  called  at  Colonel  Cook's  head- 
quarters, as  I  always  did  before  leaving  his  camp,  and 
there  was  the  complaining  ferryman..     Having  finished 

his  business  with  me,  the  Colonel  said  that  Mr.  

had  made  serious  charges  against  me.  I  asked  what 
they  were,  and  the  Colonel  told  the  man  to  state  his 
case  in  my  presence.  He  did  so  with  a  good  deal  of 
feeling,  but  substantially  correct,  and  I  so  admitted. 
"Well,  what  did  you  do  it  for  ?"  asked  the  Colonel  se- 
verely. I  then  stated  that  being  in  charge  of  a  train- 
load  of  supplies  for  troops  in  the  field,  some  of  whose 
rations  and  forage  would  be  exhausted  the  next  day,  I 
came  to  a  river  where  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  using 
the  ferry,  and  found  another  one  complete  and  ready 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  235 

for  use.  Knowing  nothing  of  any  one's  rights,  and  car- 
ing for  nothing  but  to  use  all  the  means  within  my 
reach  to  get  across  with  the  least  delay,  I  had  used 
both  ferries,  and  in  doing  so  was  obliged  to  treat  Mr. 

— ■ very  harshly;  and  if  he  thought  I  would  permit 

him  to  cut  the  ferry-rope  and  send  me  sailing  down  the 
Kaw  River  he  was  much  mistaken;  and  if  he  ever  at- 
tempted it  again,  he  would  fare  worse.  "Well,  what  have 
you  to  say  to  that?"  asked  the  Colonel,  turning  to  the 
ferryman.     The  man  bristled  a  little  in  a  loud  voice, 

when  the  Colonel  said.  "Stop,  sir,  stop!    You  are  a 

fool,  and  I  will  give  you  this  advice:  never  try  such  a 
thing  again  on  a  good  soldier.  Mr.  Lowe  seems  to  know 
how  to  move  trains  to  supply  troops  in  the  field — that 
is  what  he  is  employed  for."  The  man  left,  and  the 
Colonel  remarked  that  he  did  not  think  I  would  have 
any  more  trouble  with  that  fellow;  to  which  I  replied 
that  I  did  not  think  he  would  "balk"  again.  This  made 
the  Colonel  smile,  and  "balk"  became  a  by-word  among 
the  officers,  applied  to  any  one  who  failed  to  move  freely 
when  told  to  do  anvthing. 

I  crossed  many  times  afterwards,  and  each  ferry 
worked  its  best  for  the  most  money.  The  Frenchman 
generally  captured  the  best  of  it  by  two  or  three  wagons. 
The  Frenchman  keot  the  approach  to  his  ferry  in  per- 
fect shape,  so  that  there  would  be  no  delays,  and  the 
old  ferryman  kept  up  the  competition — result,  a  great 
saving  in  time  and  talk. 

I  saw  John  Brown  but  once.  He  came  walking  in- 
to Lawrence,  looking  like  a  shaggy  lunatic.     The  class 


236  Fiy®  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

of  people  who  shouted  for  "Captain  John  Brown"  were 
the  negative  characters,  always  ready  to  be  mixed  up 
with  any  kind  of  notoriety,  though  not  amounting  to 
anything  themselves.  The  substantial,  thinking  portion 
of  the  populace  looked  on,  shook  their  heads,  and,  ix 
they  expressed  themselves  at  all,  it  was  an  expression 
of  contempt  for  that  class  of  neople.  Brown  was  no 
hero  among  them,  but  was  looked  upon  as  a  disturbing 
element.  I  never  expected  him  to  gain  any  resuectable 
notoriety,  and  he  did  not  in  the  Kansas  War;  and  if  he 
had  not  made  the  Harper's  Ferry  raid  and  been  exe- 
cuted therefor,  he  would  soon  have  been  forgotten,  or  re- 
membered only  for  his  crimes.  I  do  not  know  of  one 
generous,  manly,  high-minded  act  that  he  did  in  Kansas, 
nor  one  for  which  he  deserved  honorable  remembrance. 
On  the  other  hand,  his  ranting  lunacy  and  bad  advice 
caused  many  murders  on  both  sides.  He  was  so  wrapped 
up  in  the  idea  of  the  freedom  of  the  slaves,  that  with 
others  of  like  ilk  he  did  not  hesitate  to  steal  negroes  from 
their  masters  in  Missouri,  and  this  always  justified  him 
in  stealing  provisions  for  them  to  subsist  upon,  and  trans- 
portation to  carry  them  off.  Many  poor  "darkies"  were 
taken  from  homes  against  their  better  judgment  through 
the  persuasion  and  semi-coercion  of  the  disturbing  ele- 
ment Who  came  to  Kansas  in  the  name  of  freedom,  and 
made  themselves  notorious  as  border  robbers  and  thieves. 
This  element,  with  that  which  came  from  Missouri  to 
carry  the  elections  and  override  the  will  of  the  genuine 
settlers,  together  with  the  political  adventurers,  caused 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  237 

all  the  trouble.  No  better  people  ever  settled  a  State 
than  those  who  came  to  Kansas  to  make  homes. 

A  young  man,  well  dressed  and  well  mounted,  rode 
one  evening  into  my  camp  west  of  Little  Stranger  Creek, 
and  told  me  of  a  terrible  battle  that  had  been  fought  be- 
tween Big  Stranger  and  the  home  of  Tonganoxie,  a  Dela- 
ware chief,  about  half-way  between  Leavenworth  and 
Lawrence.  Though  he  was  not  a  participant  in  the  bat- 
tle, he  thought  his  information  correct.  He  said  I  should 
find  dead  men  scattered  about  in  considerable  numbers; 
that  the  Free  State  and  Pro-Slavery  forces  had  met  there, 
etc.  A  few  words  about  this  young  man.  He  took  sup- 
per with  me,  fed  his  horse  and  slept  in  my  tent,  and  after 
breakfast  left  for  Leavenworth,  promising  to  take  my 
advice  and  leave  Kansas,  which  he  did;  but  afteT  peace 
was  declared  he  returned,  went  to  Denver  and  Montana, 
came  back,  drifted  into  the  cattle  business,  became  a 
millionaire,  raised  a  prominent  family  of  worthy  people, 
and  died  in  Kansas  City  a  few  years  ago.  He  was  always 
thankful  that  he  had  kept  away  from  Captain  Miller^ 
band  of  "peace  makers,"  allied  himself  with  good  men 
and  led  a  good  life. 

The  next  morning  at  a  point  two  miles  east  of  Ton- 
ganoxie's  house,  at  a  place  now  called  Moore's  Summit, 
after  the  Hon.  Crawford  Moore  who  owned  a  large  tract 
of  laud  there,  I  found  lying  in  the  road  a  dead  man,  about 
thirty  years  old,  dressed  like  a  respectable  mechanic.  He 
lay  upon  his  back,  pockets  turned  out  as  if  he  had  been 
robbed,  a  small  bunch  of  keys  near  his  trousers  pocket. 
He  had  been  shot  twice,  the  last  time  evidently  after  he 


238  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

fell,  in  the  top  of  his  head.  Evidently  a  number  of 
horses  and  men  had  been  there,  but  after  riding  in  a  cir- 
cle a  long  distance  round,  I  failed  to  find  another  body. 
Captain  Saeket  came  along  and  had  the  body  buried.  I 
related  the  circumstance  of  finding  the  dead,  man,  as  I 
went  through  Lawrence,  but  no  one  knew  who  it  was. 

On  my  return  a  man  met  me  at  the  ferry  on  the  Law- 
rence side,  G.  W.  H.  Golding  by  name,  and  stated  that  he 
and  three  others,  Roberts,  Zimmerman  and  Brown  (not 
John)  had  been  driven  out  of  Leavenworth  on  account  of 
their  open  confession  that  they  wanted  Kansas  to  be  a 
free  State.  Golding  was  a  gunsmith,  Boberts  a  carpenter, 
Brown  and  Zimmerman  other  trades.  All  had  worked  at 
their  respective  trades  and  had  not  been  mixed  up  in 
any  difficulties.  They  had  been  notified  to  leave,  and 
had  started  to  walk  to  Lawrence.  When  near  Tonga- 
noxie's  house,  a  mounted  company  of  fifty  or  more  men 
made  them  prisioners.  They  told  their  story  and  were 
damned  as  Abolitionists.  Everybody  who  wanted  to  live 
in  a  free  State  and  wanted  Kansas  to  be  a  free  State 
for  that  reason,  was  denounced  as  an  Abolitionist  and  a 
dangerous  character.  THie  percentage  of  Abolitionists 
among  the  Free  State  men  was  very  small.  The  senti- 
ment of  nearly  all  men  from  Northern  States  and  many 
from  Missouri  and  other  Southern  States,  was  in  favor  of 
making  Kansas  a  free  State.  They  did  not  care  to  meddle 
with  slavery  where  it  existed,  but  wanted  the  new  State 
free,  where  they  hoped  to  make  homes,  because  they  be- 
lieved it  best  for  themselves  ^and  families.  I  met  men 
from  Kentucky,   Georgia,   Virginia   and  Maryland   who 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  239 

wanted  Kansas  to  be  free,  and  they  were  among  the  best 
settlers. 

The  captain  of  the  troop  of  rangers  who  captured 
these  men  did  not  want  to  be  encumbered  with  them, 
and  concluded  to  leave  them  at  Tonganoxie's  house  under 
guard,  and  four  men  volunteered  to  guard  them.  Tonga- 
noxie  had  gone  off,  as  many  others  had,  to  remain  away 
until  the  troubles  were  settled.  These  four  guards  with 
their  prisoners  took  possession  of  the  house.  About 
midnight  they  started  under  pretence  of  taking  the  pris- 
oners back  to  Leavenworth,  but  really  to  find  an  excuse 
for  murdering  and  robbing  them.  The  prisoners  were 
required  to  walk,  one  on  the  right  side  of  each  of  these 
mounted  men,  and  at  a  signal  all  were  shot  at.  Golding 
was  shot  near  the  left  ear,  the  bullet  ranging  downward. 
He  fell  and  bled  profusely,  but  lay  quiet,  nearly  choking 
to  death  with  blood,  for  fear  they  would  shoot  him 
again.  The  ruffians  felt  his  pulse  and  one  was  about  to 
shoot  him  again,  when  another  said,  "Don't  waste  your 
shots;  no  man  ever  bled  that  much  and  lived."  Eoberts 
struggled  some  and  was  shot  again.  Brown  lay  still ; 
they  felt  his  pulse  and  pounded  him  on  the  head  with 
the  butt  of  a  gun.  Zimmerman  was  pronounced  dead. 
All  were  robbed  (they  had  considerable  money),  the  rob- 
bers riding  off  at  a  gallop.  Golding  supposed  his  com- 
panions dead,  turned  over  and  relieved  himself  of  the 
blood  in  his  throat,  found  that  he  could  walk,  and  finally 
made  his  way  through  the  prairie  and  timber,  keeping 
off  the  road,  and  got  to  Lawrence.  Hearing  that  I  had 
found  Eoberts  and  no  others,  made  him  hope  that  Brown 

16- 


240  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

and  Zimmerman  might  have  escaped  as  he  did.  It  turned 
ouit  that  Brown  was  not  hit  by  the  shot,  but  fell  and  lav- 
still,  even  holding  his  breath  a  long  time,  and  the  onb 
injury  was  caused  by  the  blows  on  the  back  of  his  head. 
He,  too,  thought  his  comrades  dead  and  crept  away;  but 
he  found  that  the  blows  on  his  head  had  so  affected  his 
eyes  that  he  could  scarcely  see.  In  this  condition  he  made 
his  way  to  the  Kaw  Eiver,  living  on  green  corn  for  several 
days,  until  he  was  found  below  Lawrence.  I  do  not  know 
what  became  of  him.  Zimmerman  escaped  badly  wound- 
ed, but  recovered.  Golding  was  the  first  Free  State 
sheriff  of  Leavenworth  County,  and  was  a  useful  citizen 
and  good  officer.  He  settled  in  Labette  County  and 
died  there  in  1895.  The  above  is  all  there  was  of  the 
terrible  battle  described  by  my  friend. 

To  show  the  character  of  the  four  men  who  commit- 
ted this  outrage,  I  happened  to  know  one  of  them  person- 
ally, and  I  suppose  the  others  were  of  like  makeup.  Tlrs 
one  had  been  a  trapper  up  the  Yellowstone,  committed 
one  or  two  murders  up  there,  and  had  to  get  out  of  the 
country  to  keep  from  being  killed  by  other  trappers.  I 
hired  him  to  go  to  Fort  Riley  in  1855  and  discharged 
him  ion  the  road.  He  returned  to  Leavenworth  and 
opened  up  a  headquarters  for  toughs,  his  apparent  busi- 
ness being  that  of  a  saloon  keeper.  Many  men  told  me 
that  it  was  only  a  question  of  time  when  he  would  kill 
me,  if  he  got  a  chance.  Everybody  went  armed,  and,  of 
course,  I  was  not  behind  others  in  having  good  arms  and 
being  prepared  to  use  them.  One  thing  I  was  pretty 
safe  on,  I  did  not  visit  the  town  or  tough  places  at  night, 


JblVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  241 

and  never  feared  that  any  man  would  assassinate  me  face 
to  face.  He  might  waylay  me,  but  that  was  hard  to  do 
in  broad  daylight,  with  a  man  who  was  always  sober  and 
accustomed  to  care  for  himself.  But  his  threats  caused 
me  to  keep  the  run  of  him.  One  day  I  met  him  at  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Shawnee  Streets;  I  was  going  north, 
as  he  came  round  the  corner  and  turned  south  with  a  rifle 
on  his  shoulder.  I  stepped  to  the  edge  of  the  walk,  drew 
my  pistol  quickly  and  motioned  him  to  continue  on  south, 
which  he  did.  Neither  spoke.  When  he  got  to  Dela- 
ware Street,  he  turned  west,  and  I  went  on  north  to 
where  my  horse  was  hitched  and  rode  to  the  Fort.  I 
never  saw  him  afterwards,  but  heard  the  next  day  that 
he  had  joined  one  of  the  companies  of  "peace  makers." 

In  the  fall,  soon  after  peace  arrangements  at  Le- 
compton,  which  destroyed  all  the  business  of  irresponsi- 
ble "peace  makers/'  a  promiscuous  lot  of  men  were  as- 
sembled in  a  saloon  in  Leavenworth,  some  drinking, 
some  playing  cards,  talking  over  the  past,  conjecturing 
the  future,  etc.  My  "friend"  was  of  the  number — swag- 
gering, swearing  and  bragging — telling  of  his  prowess, 
and  among  other  outrages  he  bragged  of  killing  Eoberts. 
"I  did  not  let  my  man  escape,"  said  he.  Some  Georgians 
present  had  come  to  Kansas  to  settle,  not  to  steal  or  rob, 
but  to  settle — preferably  to  make  Kansas  a  slave  State, 
but  to  settle  any  way  and  make  the  best  of  it.  In  the 
meantime  some  of  them  had  become  so  disgusted  with 
the  so-called  "Pro-Slavery"  gangs,  as  represented  by  the 
"peace  makers"  above  referred  to  and  the  crowds  that 
came  over  from  Missouri  to  carry  the  elections,  that  they 


242  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

leaned  towards  the  Free  State  party  as  representing  the 
better  element,  and  finally  some  of  them  concluded  to 
and  did  act  with  that  party.  One  of  these  Georgians, 
who  had  been  much  disappointed  and  disgusted,  now 
slightly  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  sprang  to  his  feet, 
rifle  in  hand,  faced  the  big  ruffian  and  spoke,  as  reported 
to  me,  about  as  follows:  "You  scoundrel!  you  thief! 
you  characterless  murderer!  You  who  had  nothing  at 
stake,  neither  character,  home,  friends,  nor  hope  for  the 
future,  you  and  others  like  you  have  roamed  this  country 
to  our  disgrace  and  the  destruction  of  all  that  we  hoped 
to  build.  By  murder,  arson  and  robbery  }^ou  have  made 
us  a  stench  in  the  nostrils  of  all  decent  men.  I  am  going 
back  to  Georgia,  but  for  the  sake  of  my  comrades  who 
must  stay  here  and  struggle  for  a  living,  I  am  going  to 
kill  you,  so  die,  damn  you,  die !"  And  he  shot  the  ruffian 
dead. 

During  the  Georgian's  speech  the  ruffian  had  braced 
himself  up,  fumbled  his  pistol  and  acted  as  if  he  was  go- 
ing to  use  it,  but  the  Georgian  had  the  "drop"  and  would 
have  killed  him  any  instance  that  he  thought  it  neces- 
sary. A  friend  of  mine  who  was  present  told  me  this 
two  hours  after  in  my  camp  fifteen  miles  away,  and  of  the 
scenes  and  incidents  previous  to  and  following  the  killing. 
The  Georgian's  speech  caused  a  sensation,  not  only  among 
the  tough  element,,  who  thinned  out  a  good  deal  after- 
wards, but  among  the  better  element  who  had  looked 
with  suspicion  upon  all  Southerners  who  came  to  make 
Kansas  a  slave  State.  Gradually  it  dawned  upon  them 
that  there  were  good  men  of  the  Pro-Slavery  party  who 


FIVE  YEARS  -i   DRAGOON.  243 

would  fall  into  line  and  work  for  Kansas  anyway,  build 
homes  and  be  good  citizens.  But  the  Georgian  who 
did  the  killing  did  not  return  home,  but  found  Gov- 
ernment employment,  went  with  me  on  the  Cheyenne  Ex- 
pedition in  1857,  to  Utah  in  1858,  where  I  left  him,  and 
thence  to  California.  Frugal,  industrious  and  honest,  he 
made  all  good  men  respect  him.  Two  of  the  other  Geor- 
gians who  were  in  the  room  when  the  killing  was  done, 
worked  for  me  in  Government  business  more  than  two 
years,  saved  their  money,  and  made  homes  in  Kansas. 
Better  men  it  would  be  hard  to  find. 

At  Lawrence,  one  of  my  first  acquaintances  was  Ly- 
man Allen.     He  was  in  the  stove  and  hardware  business, 
a  genial,  companionable  man.     After  crossing  the  ferries, 
I  always  went  to  his  office  to  write  my  certificate  on  which 
the  ferry-men  collected  their  pay  from  the  quartermaster 
at    Fort    Leavenworth.     So    that    every    time    I    passed 
through  there,  going  or  coming,  I  saw  him.     A  few  days 
after  peace  was  patched  up  at  Lecompton,  I  met  Govern- 
or Charles  Robinson  in  Allen's  office.     I  had  seen  him 
frequently  as  a  prisoner  at  Colonel  Cook's  camp  at  Le- 
compton, but  now  made  his  acquaintance   for  the  first 
time.     Having  some  leisure,  and  the  Governor  seeming 
to  want  to  talk  with  me,  I  remained  in  conversation  with 
him  and  Mr.  Allen  until  two  distinguished  leaders  of  the 
Pro-Slavery  party  came  in  and  introduced  themselves  to 
the  Governor,  who  introduced  them  to  Mr.  Allen  and  me. 
They  talked  a  little,  evidently  without  any  very  congenial 
feeling  on  either  side,  and  treated  each  other  courteously 
for  a  few  minutes,  when  the  visitors  rose  to  go.     After 


244  FIVE  TEARS  A  DkAGOON. 

shaking  hands  reservedly  all  around,  one  of  them  turned 
to  the  Governor  and  said  that  he  had  lost  a  negro  man, 
and  had  reason  to  believe  he  was  in  Lawrence — he  had  the 
man  in  camp  during  the  campaign  and  some  one  had  stol- 
en him.  He  asked  the  Governor  if  he  had  heard  of  such 
a  man,  describing  him,  to  which  the  Governor  replied 
that  he  had  not.  The  other  man  said:  "Well,  if  the 
nigger  does  come  under  your  notice,  I  wish  you  would 
try  to  save  him  for  me,"  to  which  the  Governor  replied: 
"Well,  if  I  see  him."  And  the  gentlemen  were  off. 
After  they  went  out  the  Governor  turned  to  me  and  said, 
that  he  had  been  informed  that  each  of  these  two  men 
had  declared  that  they  would  shoot  him  on  sight,  "And 
now,"  said  he,  "they  come  in  here  to  inquire  after  a  run- 
away negro,  and  while  both  are  armed  and  I  am  not, 
neither  acts  as  if  inclined  to  shoot."  These  men,  then 
young,  were  among  the  wealthiest  in  Platte  and  Buchan- 
an Counties,  in  Missouri;  both  were  Union  men  during 
the  War  of  the  Kebellion,  one  was  a  colonel,  several  terms 
a  congressman,  and  died  a  congressman  from  the  St.  Joe 
district  in  Missouri — one  of  the  ablest  men  from  that  or 
any  other  State.  And  so  the  change  referred  to  by  Gov- 
ernor Eobinson  was  not  so  great,  in  the  light  of  what  fol- 
lowed. When  Eobinson  became  governor  he  made  his 
friend  Lyman  Allen  Adjutant  General  of  the  State. 

Lieutenant  Stuart,  acting  commissary  officer  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  found  himself  with  400  work  oxen  on  hand 
in  the  fall  of  1856,  turned  over  to  him  by  the  quarter- 
master to  be  fed  for  beef.  He  employed  me  to  take  them 
to  Platte  County,  locate  them,  buy  feed  for  them,  etc., 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


245 


and  I  was  transferred  to  the  commissary  department  for 
that  purpose.  I  placed  them  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Daniel 
Carey,  near  which  I  had  been  the  winter  before.  In  the 
spring  of  1857  the  oxen  were  very  fat.  I  had  spent  a 
pleasant  winter  with  nice  people,  and  the  last  of  April  I 
returned  the  cattle  to  Salt  Oeek  Valley,  transferred 
back  to  the  quartermaster's  department 


part  yn. 

rHE  1st  of  May,  1857,  I  was  placed  in  charge  of 
transportation  for  the  Cheyenne  expedition,  to 
be  commanded  by  Colonel  E.  V.  Sumner,  First  Cavalry, 
with  Lieutenant  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  quartermaster  and  com- 
missary of  the  expedition.  It  was  at  Lieutenant  Stuart's 
request  that  I  was  detailed  for  this  duty. 

After  the  necessary  preparations  for  the  long  cam- 
paign, Major  Sedgwick,  with  four  troops  of  the  First  Cav- 
alry (now  Fourth),  five  Delaware  Indian  scouts  and  forty 
six-mule  teams,  Mr.  "Nick"  Berry  as  chief  wagonmaster, 
was  to  go  up  the  Arkansas  by  the  Sante  Fe  route  to 
about  where  now  stands  Pueblo,  then  strike  across  to 
where  is  now  Denver,  and  down  the  South  Platte  to  Fort 
St.  Vrain,  where  it  was  expected  he  would  arrive  on  or 
about  the  4th  of  July.  Colonel  Sumner,  with  two 
troops  of  his  regiment  (First  Cavalry)  would  proceed  to 
Fort  Kearney,  where  he  would  be  joined  by  two  troops  of 
the  Second  Dragoons  (now  Second  Cavalry),  and  thence 
to  Fort  Laramie,  where  three  companies  of  the  Sixth  In- 
fantry would  join  him.  At  Laramie  he  would  take  pro- 
visions for  his  whole  command,  including  Major  Sedg- 
wick's, up  to  the  end  of  July.  Major  Sedgwick's  column 
started  on  the  17th  of  May;  on  the  18th  and  19th  we 
loaded  Colonel  Sumner's  train,  and  at  8:00  a,  m.  on  the 
20th  the  column  moved  out,  cavalry  in  advance. 

246 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


247 


The  transportation  consisted  of  the  Colonel's  four- 
mule  ambulance,  fifty  wagons  (six-mule  teams)  and  twen- 
ty extra  mules.  Traveled  eighteen  miles  and  camped  on 
Stranger  Creek. 


Percival 


Lowe. 


Without  incident  worthy  of  note,  the  command 
camped  near  Fort  Kearney  June  4th,  Captain  Wharton, 
Sixth  Infantry,   commanding;  drew  forage  and  provis- 


248  FIyE  ^EARS  A  DRA300N. 

ions  to  last  to  Fort  Laramie.  Two  troops  of  the  Second 
Dragoons  joined  here,  Lieutenant  Smith  in  command  of 
Troop  E  and  Lieutenant  Vilipigne  of  Troop  H.  Lieu- 
tenant Higgins,  Sixth  Infantry,  also  joined  with  100 
recruits  for  Companies  B,  C,  D  and  Gr,  Sixth  Infantry, 
at  Laramie.  Colonel  Sumner  employed  five  Pawnee 
scouts,  "Speck-in-the-Eye"  chief  of  the  band,  and  ten 
wagons  were  added  to  the  train. 

June  6th.  Command  left  Kearney,  and  without  in- 
cident of  importance  camped  four  miles  below  Beauvais' 
Crossing  of  South  Platte  June  13th. 

June  14th.  Command  lying  by;  thankful  for  this. 
It  gives  men  a  chance  to  clean  up,  and  men  and  animals 
a  rest.  Threw  covers  off  every  wagon  and  let  in  the  sun 
to  dry  out  dampness  sure  to  accumulate. 

Lieutenant  Stuart  resigned  as  Acting  Quartermaster 
and  Commissarv  June  1st,  and  Lieutenant  R.  H.  Riddick 
succeeded  him. 

June  15.  Leaving  trains  in  charge  of  one  wagon- 
master,  I  took  the  others  and  assistants  with  me  at  5 
o'clock  and  rode  to  the  crossing.  The  river  was  very 
high,  banks  full,  and  just  half  a  mile  by  measurement 
from  bank  to  bank;  current  three  to  four  miles  an  hour; 
usually  half  the  width  was  bare  sand-bars,  but  now  all 
was  covered  with  water;  it  is  the  "June  rise/'  Large 
numbers  of  emigrants  waiting  for  river  to  get  lower. 
On  account  of  the  melting  snow  in  the  mountains,  they 
may  have  to  wait  a  long  time.  I  pointed  out  the  land- 
ing on  the  north  side;  told  Eskridge,  who  had  quick 
perception  and   a  clear   head,   to   remain   on   the   south 


FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  249 

bank  and  direct  me  step  by  step  in  case  I  got  to  drift- 
ing down.  The  others  followed  a  short  distance  apart. 
The  bottom  was  very  uneven,  sometimes  a  foot  deep, 
suddenly  becoming  two,  three,  and  in  a  few  places,  four 
feet  deep.  The  changes  were  sudden,  as  often  three 
feet  as  one,  but  mostly  two  or  three.  On  a  small  island 
just  above  the  crossing  on  the  north  side  grew  many 
tall,  slim  willows;  we  each  cut  several,  ten  or  twelve 
feet  long,  and  trimmed  them  so  as  to  leave  a  few  leaves 
on  the  top.  Each  took  several  of  these  long  switches. 
Standing  on  the  north  bank,  I  directed  them  straight 
to  Eskridge.  In  the  shallowest  water,  where  the  cur- 
rent would  have  little  force,  a  switch  was  stuck  deep 
in  the  quicksand.  By  a  tedious  struggle  we  got  a  straight 
line  from  bank  to  bank. 

Along  came  the  cavalry,  and  I  explained  to  Colonel 
Sumner  and  the  Quartermaster  that  if  they  would  keep 
close  up  to  the  line  of  willows,  they  would  beat  down  and 
level  the  quicksand  bottom  so  as  to  improve  the  cross- 
ing for  the  wagons.  The  Colonel  knew  this  very  well, 
as  he  had  been  here  in  1850,  though,  he  said,  the  water 
was  not  then  high.  I  volunteered  to  show  the  way  and 
rode  in  ahead.  The  head  of  the  column  kept  up  fairly 
well  but  some  men  a  few  files  back  had  trouble,  drifted, 
and  before  the  north  bank  was  reached  the  column  was 
a  rainbow — the  center  300  yards  below  the  direct  line — 
many  horses  floundering  in  the  quicksand  and  several 
men  nearly  drowned.  For  a  wonder  all  got  out,  but  my 
road-bed  was  not  benefited.  However,  experience  had 
shown  me  that  there  could  be  no  helter-shelter  hurrying, 


250  FIyE  YEAR8  A  DRAGOON. 

and  the  chance  of  losing  some  mules,  wagons,  and  pos- 
sibly men  was  very  good.  That  tumbling,  boiling  caul- 
dron of  sand  and  water  was  dangerous  for  the  strongest 
and  most  experienced  men  with  teams.  Be  it  remem- 
bered that  the  man,  horse  or  wagon  standing  still  will 
soon  sink  in  the  sand;  one  must  keep  moving  constantly 
or  sink;  a  blockade  of  wagons  meant  the  loss  of  some. 
I  asked  the  Colonel  and  Quartermaster  if  they  had  any 
instructions  or  directions  to  give  me.  The  Colonel  said, 
"Be  very  careful,"  and  left  me  to  work  it  out  my  own 
way.  The  company  teams  were  looked  after  well  under 
the  instructions  of  officers  and  non-commissioned  offi- 
cers interested,  and  there  was  no  friction,  each  team  fol- 
lowing in  turn,  all  cheerfully  helping.  In  addition  to 
the  wagonmasters  I  had  a  dozen  teamsters  on  their  sad- 
dle-mules strung  along  the  crossing  ready  to  help.  A  strap 
or  rope  tied  to  the  bridle  of  the  lead  mule  was  held  by  a 
mounted  man  starting  in  ahead  of  the  team,  while  one 
or  two  more  mounted  men  rode  at  the  lower  (off)  side 
to  whip  up  the  mules  and  keep  them  from  drifting  down, 
and  the  teamster  on  his  saddle-mule  did  the  best  he 
could  to  keep  moving.  In  this  way  the  first  wagon  got 
safely  over. 

Each  wagon  master  and  mounted  teamster  under- 
standing his  part  of  the  programme,  the  wagons  were 
started  in  about  fifty  yards  apart,  care  being  taken  to 
have  no  more  than  half  a  dozen  in  the  river  at  the  same 
time.  Most  of  the  teams  had  more  or  less  trouble, 
causing  outride*s  to  get  off  into  the  water  to  help  out, 
so  that  all  clothing  was  soon  wet  through.    The  day  was 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON-  251 

dark  and  cloudy,  the  water  cold  from  snow-clad  moun- 
tains and  the  north  wind  cold,  and  all  suffered  much. 
As  soon  as  a  team  was  over,  the  teamster  unhitched  his 
saddle-mule  and  came  back  to  help.  Half  the  teams  were 
safely  over  when  the  oldest  wagonmaster  started  in 
with  a  wagon  for  the  first  time.  It  was  the  lightest 
loaded,  and  it  seems  that  he  thought  it  would  go  over 
easily,  and  it  would,  with  good  management.  It  was 
the  hospital  wagon,  containing  all  medicines  for  the  com- 
mand. In  the  middle  of  the  stream,  the  team  tangled 
up,  the  leaders  swung  round  and  the  saddle -mule 
sank  in>  the  sand  and  got  under  the  tongue,  the  lower 
(off)  wheels  sank,  and  the  wagon  rolled  over  in  the  deep- 
est water.  The  boy  who  drove  the  team,  eighteen  years 
old,  was  trying  to  extricate  himself  from  his  saddle-mule 
and  crying  for  help.  The  man  on  the  lower  side  could 
not  reach  him  and  the  wagonmaster  sat  on  his  horse 
like  a  wooden  man.  I  was  fiftv  yards  away,  but  put 
>pnrs  to  my  horse  and  reached  the  boy  in  time  to  keep 
Aim  from  going  under  the  tongue  with  the  saddle-mule, 
which  drowned.  The  men  cut  the  harness  from  the 
other  mules,  and  they  found  their  way  out.  I  took  the 
boy  on  behind  me,  rode  to  the  north  shore,  and  he  was 
soon  made  comfortable  by  his  comrades. 

At  last  all  but  one  of  the  wagons  weTe  over — one 
mule,  wagon  and  medical  stores  lost.  And  now,  with 
plenty  of  mounted  men  we  crossed  the  beef  herd  with 
little  difficulty.  I  did  not  hear  a  complaint  then  or  ever 
afterwards  about  the  management.  No  one  interfered 
with  me  from  first  to  last.     For  my  part,  with  some 


252  FIVE  ^EARS  A  DRAGOON. 

others,  I  had  been  in  the  cold  river,  mounted  and  dis- 
mounted, more  than  six  hours;  others  had  been  in  three, 
four  or  five  hours;  all  at  least  one  or  two  hours.  About 
two  infantry  recruits  climbed  into  each  wagon  and  were 
the  only  ones  who  got  over  drv,  except  a  few  of  the  cav- 
alry.    Fortunately  none  were  in  the  hospital  wagon. 

As  soon  as  the  last  wagon  was  over,  the  cavalry 
column  moved  out.  Lieutenant  Stuart's  servant  came 
with  the  Lieutenant's  compliments  and  presented  me 
with  a  fine  hat;  Stuart  had  gotten  it  out  of  his  trunk 
when  he  saw  me  lose  mine  in  saving  the  boy.  My  ever 
present  bandana  was  tied  on  my  head. 

Lieutenant  Eiddick  said  we  were  going  six  miles 
to  some  water  hole;  we  found  the  holes  but  no  water. 
Water  kegs  contained  enough  for  cooking  purposes  and 
to  drink,  and  there  were  buffalo  chips  enough  to  make 
coffee  and  heat  water  for  whiskey  toddies,  but  no  fire 
for  the  benumbed,  worn-out  men  to  warm  themselves 
and  dry  their  clothes  by  that  dreary,  miserable  day.  I 
had  a  few  bottles  of  fine  whiskey  which  had  not  been 
touched  since  I  left  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  now  I  gave 
it  all  out  in  small  doses  to  the  men.  I  insisted  on  every 
man  changing  his  clothing,  and  with  coffee  and  plenty 
to  eat,  it  was  surprising  how  cheerful  all  were.  My 
drowned  boy  had  been  well  cared  for,  laid  away  in  blank- 
ets, and  was  all  right. 

That  boy's  name  was  Hayes,  a  German  of  Leaven- 
worth, and  when  he  returned  home  with  one  arm,  at 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  he  came  to  see  me.  He  be- 
came a  prosperous  farmer  in  Jefferson  County,  Kansas — 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  253 

a  good  soldier  and  citizen.  The  Colonel  sent  for  me  and 
seemed  well  pleased  at  the  manner  in  which  the  crossing 
was  effected,  and  when  I  expressed  impatience  at  the 
loss  of  the  wagon  and  medical  stores,  he  said  he  thought 
I  should  be  well  satisfied.  He  made  me  feel  a  little 
more  reconciled  to  the  unnecessary  loss. 

June  22d.  We  reached  Fort  Laramie,  and  camped 
one  and  one-half  miles  above  on  the  south  side  of  Lar- 
amie Eiver.  Orders  were  received  by  Colonel  Sumner 
for  E  and  H  Troops,  Second  Dragoons,  to  be  ready  to 
go  with  General  Harney  to  Utah,  so  that  they  are  no 
longer  a  part  cf  the  Cheyenne  expedition. 

23d.  Everybody  getting  ready  for  the  Cheyenne 
campaign.  This  is  the  last  chance  for  any  sort  of  out- 
fit until  it  is  over.  Mr.  Seth  E.  Ward,  the  sutler  here, 
has  a  good  stock  of  campaign  goods.  Fitting  out  more 
teams,  having  mules'  shoes  fitted,  drawing  provisions, 
forage,  etc.  Laramie  probably  presents  a  busier  scene 
than  ever  before  in  its  history.  We  left  Fort  Leaven- 
worth with  about  300  fat  oxen,  had  been  killing  some 
from  day  to  day  for  beef,  and  to-day  we  drew  150  more 
from  the  Commissary.  We  have  not  seen  a  buffalo 
since  leaving  Freemont's  Spring.  The  Colonel  employed 
two  guides — one  a  mountaineer  white  man,  the  other  a 
Mexican. 

27th.  Three  companies  of  the  Sixth  Infantry,  un- 
der Captain  Ketchum — his  G,  Lieutenant  Carlin's  D,  and 
Captain  Footers  C,  marched  from  Laramie  at  8  o'clock, 
passed  our  camp  with  the  guides  and  Pawnees — trains 
following.      Gradual   rise   eight   miles    south   to    top    of 


254  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

steep,  rocky  hill;  an  hour  going  down  500  yards;  crossed 
and  camped  on  Cherry  Creek  at  north  side  of  "Goshen's 
Hole."  This  "Goshen's  Hole"  is  a  level  plain  thirty 
miles  across  from  north  to  south,  and  is  said  to  be  the 
hottest  place  this  side  of  the  home  of  Dives,  and,  except 
at  the  extreme  south  and  north  ends,  about  as  dry. 

28th.  Infantry  and  Pawnees  marched  at  6:00;  cav- 
alry and  train  at  7:00,  eighteen  miles  over  flat  plain, 
the  sun  shining  on  the  light  sandy  ground,  creating  such 
intense  light  and  heat  that  men  and  animals  suffered 
much — blinding  heat  without  a  breath  of. air.  Our  camp 
on  Box  Elder  looked  like  an  old  apple  orchard  minus 
the  fruit.  Scattering  box-elders  and  good  grass  made 
as  lovely  a  camp  as  one  could  expect  without  a  drop  of 
water.  Water  kegs  were  full  and  cooking  went  on  all 
right,  but  the  poor  horses  and  mules  were  great  suffer- 
ers. The  white  guide  said  that  the  water  always  sank 
in  the  sand  during  a  hot  day,  but  there  would  be  a  good 
running  stream  at  11:00  p.  m.  In  sympathy  with  my 
part  of  the  caravan,  by  permission  of  the  Colonel  and 
Quartermaster,  I  told  the  herders  to  turn  the  mules  up 
the  creek  towards  a  high  point  of  bluff  a  mile  away.  The 
horses  occupied  all  the  shade  near  camp  except  that 
monopolized  by  the  men,  and  I  saw  nothing  but  hours 
of  suffering  with  stifling  heat  for  the  mules  before  the 
broiling  sun  would  go  down.  It  was  the  hottest  place 
I  have  ever  seen  without  artificial  heat.  Horses  stood 
at  the  lariats  and  chewed  the  grass  they  were  unable  to 
swallow,  and  spat  it  out. 

Taking  some  pieces  of  "hard  tack"  to  nibble  on,  I 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  255 

mounted  my  horse,  and  with  "Billy"  Lowe,  a  Cincinnati 
youth,  who,  with  his  brother,  was  roughing  it  for  ad- 
venture, I  leisurely  drifted  off  ahead  of  the  herd.  Ar- 
rived at  the  point  of  bluff  I  noticed  under  the  north 
side,  where  the  sun  had  not  struck  since  early  morning, 
a  trickling  stream  which  ran  into  the  sand  twenty  feet 
away.  Then  I  began  to  hunt  up  the  creek,  the  water 
increasing  as  I  went.  Two  miles  from  camp  the  bluffs 
were  high  and  brush  and  trees  shaded  the  creek-bed,  and 
our  animals  drank  comfortably.  Half  a  mile  further  I 
found  a  long  hole  worn  in  the  sand-stone  and  a  good 
stream  running  into  it,  but  disappearing  in  the  hot  sand 
within  two  hundred  yards.  I  wrote  on  a  leaf  of  my 
memorandum  book  to  Lieutenant  Riddick,  telling  him 
that  if  the  Colonel  would  permit  the  mules  to  be  driven 
three  miles  from  camp,  they  could  get  plenty  of  water, 
and  could  graze  leisurely  back  before  the  sun  set;  also, 
that  there  would  be  plenty  of  water  for  the  cavalry 
horses.  I  told  "Billy"  to  deliver  the  note  to  Lieutenant 
Eiddick  as  quickly  as  possible.  It  was  now  2  o'clock. 
With  my  glass,  from  a  high  point,  I  could  see  the  camp 
and  the  mules.  In  less  than  an  hour  I  saw  the  mules 
moving  towards  me,  and  as  they  came  towards  the  water 
and  smelt  it,  they  struck  a  trot  and  finally  a  stampede, 
and  such  braying  from  four  hundred  mules  I  never  heard 
before  or  since.  The  bluffs  resounded  with  their  music 
until  their  noses  were  buried  in  the  lovely  stream. 

And  now  a  column  of  dust  indicated  that  the  cav- 
alry were  coming;  I  showed  them  some  nice  holes  above 
the  mules.     There  was  great  rejoicing  oyer  the  water. 

17- 


256  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON- 

Captain  W.  N.  E.  Beall  said  to  me,  "Are  you  the  guide 
of  this  command?"  I  replied  that  I  was  not,  but,  that 
if  I  were  I  should  know  what  was  in  the  country  or  try 
to  find  out;  I  had  no  use  for  guides  who  could  only  fol- 
low a  trail  and  knew  nothing  of  the  surroundings;  any- 
body could  follow  a  trail  without  a  guide.  When  I  re- 
ported to  the  Colonel  at  sunset,  he  seemed  greatly 
pleased,  and  questioned  me  about  how  I  thought  of  look- 
ing for  water.  I  thought  of  it  as  a  matter  of  course, 
but  admitted  that  it  was  an  accident. 

29th.  Infantry  off  at  6:00,  cavalry  and  trains  at 
7:00,  ten  miles  and  watered  at  Willow  Creek;  three  more 
to  pass  through  high  bluff,  the  outlet  from  "G-oshen's 
Hole";  four  hours  getting  train  up  the  hill  and  through 
the  pass,  half  a  mile — steep  quicksand  hill;  three  more, 
and  camped  on  Bear  Creek  at  7:00  o'clock.  Fine  camp, 
but  everybody  and  everything  too  tired  to  enjoy  it. 

%  30th.  Off  as  usual,  one  mile  to  a  branch  of  Bear 
River.  This  small  stream,  ten  feet  across,  had  by  recent 
rains  been  made  a  bog  one  hundred  yards  wide.  The 
slough  grass  was  as  high  as  a  man's  head,  and  one  could 
cut  with  a  butcher-knife  an  armful  a  minute.  All  sol- 
diers and  teamsters  had  butcher-knives.  Cavalry  dis- 
mounted and  all  cut  grass,  and  a  causeway  was  soon 
made.  It  seemed  a  huge  job  to  cut  with  butcher-knives 
sufficient  grass  to  causeway  one  hundred  yards  of  bog. 
All  took  hold  in  good  shape  and  we  crossed  without  ac- 
cident, greatly  to  the  surprise  of  officers  and  men,  to 
whom  this  causewaying  with  grass  was   a  new  thing, 


i  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  •       257 

Seventeen  miles  more,  crossing  five  branches  of  Horse 
Creek,  and  camped  at  4  p.  m.  on  Mud  Creek. 

July  1st.  Off  as  usual.  Looking  from  a  hill  at  the 
course  the  guides  were  taking  the  infantry,  I  suggested 
another  course  for  the  wagons.  I  could  see  with  my 
gla^s  a  smooth  plain  that  would  save  trouble.  The  Col- 
onel said,  "Well,  go  ahead,"  and  I  did,  he  following 
with  his  ambulance.  Captain  Beall  said  that  we  saved 
two  miles.  These  guides  have  no  idea  of  a  wagon-road; 
they  have  been  following  Indian  trails  on  ponies,  and 
do  not  know  very  much  about  them.  Eighteen  miles 
over  a  hard  gravel  road  and  crossed  Pole  Creek.  This  is 
called  "Pole  Creek"  because  the  Indians  get  large  num- 
bers of  lodge-poles  near  the  head  of  it  in  the  mountains. 
Four  miles  more  and  camped  on  big  "Mud  Creek";  heavy 
rain-storm  in  the  night. 

2d.  We  have  a  butcher  named  Smith  who  has 
charge  of  the  cattle  herd.  He  never  was  on  the  plains 
before,  and  imagines  that  he  can  handle  cattle  here  as 
he  could  on  his  fathers  farm  in  Ehode  Island.  I  cau- 
tioned him  to  have  his  Mexican  herders  on  the  alert 
during  the  storm  for  fear  of  a  stampede.  This  morning 
he  came  in  greatly  distressed  and  swore  there  "Wa'n't 
a  critter  in  sight."  And  sure  enough,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  cow  owned  by  him  and  one  lame  beef,  there 
was  not  a  horned  "critter  in  sight."  Fortunately  for 
our  command,  Quartermaster  Sergeant  Clark,  who  was 
commissary  clerk,  and  my  mess  mate  since  leaving 
Jjeavenworth,  overtook  us  about  10  o'clock  with  all  the 


258  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

cattle,  having  found  them  ten  miles  from  camp,  nearly 
in  the  direction  of  our  line  of  march.  05  as  usual,  ten 
miles  to  main  branch  of  Crow  Creek;  road  muddy  and 
bad  from  last  night's  rains;  ten  miles  more,  and  camped 
on  south  side  of  slough,  which  delayed  us  three  hours 
in  causewaying  with  grass.  Good  many  mules  gave  out 
to-day. 

3d.  Off  as  usual,  one  and  one-half  miles  to  slough 
that  occupied  two  hours  in  crossing,  with  assistance  of 
cavalry  and  plenty  of  slough-grass.  Six  miles,  and  struck 
spring  branch  of  Crow  Creek — four  more  to  crossing. 
Much  time  spent  in  crossing  nine  wagons,  and  Captain 
Beall  found  a  good  crossing  half  a  mile  below.  This 
shows  the  worthlessness  of  the  guide.  Here  the  Colonel 
called  me,  and  said,  that  by  the  guide's  estimate  it  was 
eight  miles  to  where  we  will  camp  to-night,  twelve  more 
to  crossing  of  South  Platte  below  the  mouth  of  Powder 
River,  and  thirteen  more  to  Fort  St.  Vrain,  where  he 
wanted  to  meet  Major  Sedgwick  the  next  day;  that  is 
twenty-five  miles  by  the  usual  trail  from  to-night's  camp 
to  St.  Vrain,  besides  crossing  the  river.  The  guide  also 
says,  that  if  we  could  go  direct  from  to-night's  camp 
to  St.  Vrain,  it  would  be  only  twenty  miles,  and  cross- 
ing at  St.  Vrain  much  better  than  below  the  mouth  of 
Powder  River.  Guide  thinks  the  route  practicable.  So 
far  I  had  not  been  impressed  by  anything  the  guide  had 
done — if  he  had  given  anv  valuable  information  it  had 
not  come  to  me  notice;  so  I  told  the  Colonel  that  the 
guide's  statement  could  be  easily  verified — that  I  would 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  259 

ride  that  twenty  miles  to  St.  Vrain,  and  back  to  his  camp 
before  starting-time  in  the  morning,  and  then  there  would 
be  no  uncertainty  about  it.  "All  right/'  said  the  Colonel, 
"take  both  guides  and  any  others  that  you  want  with 
you."  I  took  with  me  Simeon  Routh,  a  teamster  in 
whom  I  had  confidence,  soon  overtook  the  infantry,  and 
got  both  guides,  and  struck  out  west  towards  the  moun- 
tains at  3  o'clock.  In  referring  to  the  guide,  I  mean  the 
white  man — the  Mexican  talked  little  English  and  kept 
quiet.  The  guide  pointed  out  what  he  called  "South 
Fork  Peaks,"  and  said  that  St.  Vrain  lay  in  a  direct  line 
between  us  and  them,  and  we  traveled  straight  as  pos- 
sible towards  them. 

We  first  came  in  sight  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  at 
Scott's  Bluffs,  forty-six  miles  east  of  Laramie,  Laramie 
Peak  being  the  only  spur  then  in  sight.  Since  leaving 
Laramie  we  have  been  traveling  nearly  south  and  about 
parallel  with  the  main  chain,  which  now  we  estimate  to 
be  about  forty  miles  distant.  Over  nearly  level  plain  we 
went — walk,  trot,  gallop — pushing  along  at  an  average 
of  six  miles  or  more  an  hour.  We  have  been  traveling 
a  little  up  grade,  and  at  5  o'clock,  as  we  reached  high 
ground,  we  could  see  the  timbers  of  Powder  River  in  th«j 
distance.  The  afternoon  was  lovely  and  the  scene  be- 
fore us  beautiful  beyond  description — vivid  lightning, 
clouds  and  rain — storms  on  various  peaks  along  the  snow- 
capped range  could  be  seen  far  beyond  the  sound  of 
thunder,  the  sun  shining  brightly  on  tempest,  peak  and 
plain,  the  scenes  changing  with  the  rapidity  of  a  kaleido- 


260  WW)   YEARS  A  DRAGOOfr. 

scope.  At  last  we  are  on  the  bank  of  Powder  River  at 
7  o'clock,  certainly  twenty -five  miles  from  where  we 
started,  and  I  do  not  know  how  much  farther  to  St. 
Vrain;  and  it  makes  little  difference.  The  river  is  a 
raging  torrent,  overflowing  its  banks  from  ten  to  twenty 
feet  deep,  from  the  effects  of  rains  at  its  source,  which 
we  have  been  viewing  all  along.  This  settles  the  ques- 
tion about  going  that  way,  and,  as  I  concluded  then  and 
have  since  proved,  not  a  mile  could  have  been  saved  by 
going  that  way — another  damper  on  the  guide's  knowl- 
edge of  the  country.  Troops  and  trains  would  have  trav- 
eled over  an  untrodden  plain  half  covered  with  cactus 
— one  mile  worse  than  two  over  a  partially  beaten  track. 
For  half  an  hour,  with  my  glass  I  watched  the  glittering- 
rays  of  the  setting  sun  upon  clouds,  storms  and  white- 
capped  peaks;  I  might  never  view  such  a  sight  again, 
and,  though  I  have  seen  much  of  the  magnificent  range 
since,  to  me  nothing  has  ever  equaled  that  view. 

I  do  not  want  to  retrace  the  twenty-five  miles  to 
camp,  and  the  guide  says  it  is  but  twelve  miles  to  the 
Platte  below  the  mouth  of  the  Cache  le  Poudre.  So  that, 
miserable  as  the  prospect  is,  we  will  camp  here.  Our 
horses  are  tormented  with  mosquitoes  that  rise  from  the 
thick  grass  and  cover  them  all  over,  so  we  fill  canteen* 
and  betake  ourselves  to  a  hill  half  a  mile  from  the  river, 
but  they  follow.  The  animals  are  hobbled,  fuel  is 
brought,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  have  a  fire,  pile  on 
green  grass  and  make  a  big  smoke,  to  which  all  animals 
—  biped   and   quadruped  —  come   for  protection.     Each 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON^  £61 

man  puts  his  slice  of  meat  on  a  stick  and  broils  it  while 
seated  in  the  smoke.  Armijo,  the  Mexican  guide,  has  a 
coffee  pot  and  some  coffee — each  one  has  a  few  pieces 
of  "hard  tack,"  and  we  feast.  Having  both  guides,  I. 
determined  to  send  one  hack  to  Colonel  Sumner,  and 
wrote  the  following  note: 

"Camp  on  Cache  le  Poudre, 
"July  3,  1857,  10  p.  m. 

"To  Colonel  E.  V.  Sumner,  Commanding  Cheyenne  Expe- 
dition, Camp  on  Crow  Creek: 

"Colonel: — On  leaving  you  I  traveled  due  west  about 
twenty-five  miles  over  a  fairly  level  country  and  arrived 
here  at  7  o'clock.  Found  the  water  from  ten  to  twenty 
feet  deep  and  storms  in  the  mountains  indicate  that  it 
will  continue  so,  rendering  this  route  impracticable  for 
the  train.  I  will  meet  you  on  the  South  Fork  of  Platte 
to-morrow.  I  send  Armijo  with  instructions  to  be  in 
your  camp  by  sunrise. 

"I  am,  Colonel,  very  respectfully, 

"P.  G.  Lower 

Armijo  saddled  his  horse  and  with  rifle  across  the 
pommel  said  "Adios,  Senor,"  and  was  gone.  Before  he 
left  camp  we  all  agreed  upon  a  star  that  he  should  fol- 
low, believing  that  that  course  would  take  him  close  to 
Colonel  Sumner's  camp.  We  kept  up  the  smoke;  the 
night  was  cool,  and  by  midnight  the  mosquitoes  had 
settled  down  into  the  grass  and  there  was  peace  for  man 
and  beast. 


262  FIYE  TEARS  A  DRAGOOti. 

4th.  Coffee,  small  piece  of  meat  and  "hard  tack" 
made  our  breakfast,  and  at  5  o'clock  we  started  down 
stream.  Arrived  at  usual  crossing  of  South  Platte  be- 
low the  mouth  of  Cache  le  Poudre  at  8:00.  Unsaddled 
and  let  horses  graze  while  we  rested  an  hour.  Then  I 
proposed  to  try  the  crossing,  but  the  guide  said,  "No, 
it  is  impracticable."  Routh  was  willing  to  try  it,  but 
I  would  not  permit  it  with  his  mule.  Divesting  myself 
of  everything  except  underclothes,  and  with  nothing  on 
my  horse  but  myself  and  a  bridle,  I  felt  my  way  into 
the  river  cautiously,  and  was  half  way  over  without  much 
trouble.  Then  my  horse'  had  a  hard  struggle  in  deep 
water  and  quicksand,  being  hard  pressed  for  some  time 
to  keep  his  head  above  water,  but  he  took  it  quietly, 
rested  when  he  could,  and  finally  landed  safely.  I  took 
the  bit  from  his  mouth  and  let  him  graze  for  half  an 
hour  while  I  fought  mosquitoes  with  switches,  and  then 
we  recrossed  with  the  same  difficulty.  Our  wagons  can- 
not cross  here  at  this  time.  The  guide  said:  "You'll 
take  the  advice  of  a  guide  next  time."  Feeling  nettled 
at  what  I  conceived  to  be  his  utter  uselessness,  I  admon- 
ished him  that  guides  and  other  employees  were  sup- 
posed to  furnish  information  to  the  commanding  officer, 
and  if  not,  I  could  see  no  use  for  them.  The  dust  of 
the  command  is  visible  four  miles  away.  I  selected  a 
camp  a  mile  lower  down  and  rode  out  to  meet  the  Col- 
onel, who  was  in  his  ambulance  in  advance.  He  said 
that  Armijo  reached  him  in  time.  He  was  anxious  to 
know  about  the  crossing,  and  I  was  able  to  tell  him, 


PIYB  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


263 


and  he  went  into  the  camp  that  I  had  selected.  Our 
battery  was  manned  and  salute  fired  just  as  we  heard 
S  e  d  g  wick's  


guns    up    the 
river    on    the 

other   side. 

.  _#P^  pP*^^l^^ 

Some  o  n  3 

cried,     "A 
horseman    on 

^TP~1i        a  gift—           V 

the    south 

- 

|W*JF  u,  J 

side    of    the 

river !"  and  all 

■ 

rushed   for    a 

sight  of  him. 
After     long 
exertion,     ev- 

% 

*                 * 

eryone  having 
given  him  up 
for   lost   half 
a  dozen  times, 

•         * 

a 

nr 

'l   l 

* 

the  horseman 

"^  •*..'.-■    -    "*:-^  .-"   -"""*■■-„. 

emerged  from 

the  river,  and 
proved  to   be 

Major-General  John   Sedgwi 

CK. 

"Fall  Leaf,"  one  of  the  Delaware  Indian  guides,  from 
Major  Sedgwick.  He  brought  a  letter  from  the  Major 
to  the  Colonel,  who  sent  "Fall  Leaf"  back  with  an  answer, 
requesting  the  Major  to  move  down  opposite  to  him  to- 
morrow. Overcome  by  excitement  and  fatigue,  and  the 
effects  of  a  good  dinner,  I  retired  to  my  tent  and  was  soon 


264  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

fast  asleep.  But,  alas !  "there  is  no  rest  for  the  wicked." 
I  was  soon  aroused  by  the  alarming  cry  of  "Stampede!" 
oft  repeated.  Twenty  steps  from  my  tent  stood  my 
horse  (Ben).  Always  after  coming  into  camp  he  was 
saddled  and  ready  to  mount.  (I  always  rode  a  mule 
during  the  day.)  This  time  I  had  left  the  saddle  off 
to  give  him  a  rest  and  had  him  picketed  so  that  he  could 
graze.  I  mounted  without  saddle  or  bridle,  put  the 
lariat  in  his  mouth  to  guide  him,  dropped  the  picket 
pin,  and  was  soon  three  miles  back  on  the  road  with 
the  horses  and  mules  headed  toward  camp.  Others 
came  promptly,  and  every  animal  was  safe.  A  few  cav- 
alry horses  stampeded  and  ran  amoug  the  mules,  which 
were  being  herded.  Two  or  three  horses  were  hurt  by 
picket  pins,  but  no  other  damage. 

5th.  While  at  breakfast  Lieutenant  Eiddick  came 
and  said  we  were  to  try  to  cross  the  river,  therefore 
three  metalic  water-tight  wagon  beds,  tools  to  work 
with,  etc.,  were  needed  at  the  river.  These,  with  six 
coils  of  rope,  wheelwright,  blacksmith,  etc.,  were  soon 
there.  The  Colonel  and  his  adjutant,  Lieutenant  Colburn, 
and  Lieutenant  Eiddick  were  the  only  officers  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  work.  A  strong  detail  of  men  was  made 
from  each  troop  and  company.  I  was  not  supposed  to 
work  anv  of  my  men  unless  asked  to,  and  I  was  glad 
not  to  be  called  upon.  The  first  thing  was  to  stretch 
a  rope  from  the  north  shore  to  an  island  in  mid-river. 
The  water  was  over  a  man's  head  in  some  places  and 
current  strong.     The   three   metallic   wagon  beds   were 


MVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON-  265 

to  be  lashed  together  and  the  raft  so  made  attached  by 
two  pulleys  to  a  rope  at  each  end  and  pulled  over  by 
men  on  the  raft.  After  a  long,  hard  struggle,  wading, 
swimming  and  pulling,  exposed  to  the  hot  sun  when  noi 
under  water,  they  succeeded  by  noon  in  getting  a  rope 
stretched  to  the  island  and  two  wagon-beds  in  position 
to  use,  but  the  other  one  £ot  away  and  floated  down 
the  river. 

While  three  men  were  working  with  the  rope  in 
mid-rivel*,  they  lost  their  hold,  and,  being  exhausted,  one 
of  them  drowned,  while  the  other  two  barely  escaped. 
One  of  them  caught  overhanging  willows  at  the  island 
with  his  left  hand,  and  reached  back  with  his  right  and 
caught  the  hand  of  his  comrade,  and  held  on  until  the 
men  on  shore  pulled  them  out.  They  were  cavalrymen 
of  the  best  type.  Fifty  men  saw  this  fine  young  soldier, 
Daugherty  by  name,  go  down  to  death,  with  no  power  to 
assist  him,  in  that  stream  of  yellow  sand  and  water,  and 
his  loss  caused  deep  regret. 

Major  Sedgwick's  command  camped  opposite  to  us. 
At  5  o'clock  the  Colonel  ^xe  orders  to  take  tools  to 
camp,  including  ropes,  indicating  that  the  effort  to  cross 
here  was  abandoned. 

6th.  Two  commands  moved  down  the  river  on  op- 
posite sides,  eighteen  miles,  and  camped  on  river.  Lieu- 
tenants Lomax  and  Bayard  crossed  over  from  Major 
Sedgwick's  to  Colonel  Sumner  s  camp.  The  river  is  wid- 
er and  shallower  here,  and  current  not  so  swift.  Major 
Sedgwick  having  exhausted  most  of  his  forage  and  pro- 


266  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

visions,  his  wagons  are  nearly  empty,  and  he  will  cross  to 
our  oamp. 

7thi.  Major  Sedgwick's  four  troops  crossed  with 
little  difficulty.  With  my  wagonmasters  and  a  number  of 
good  .teamsters  mounted  on  saddle  mules,  we  helped 
Beery's  trains  over  without  serious  accident.  Mr.  Beery 
brought  my  metallic  wagon-bed,  lost  yesterday,  which  he 
found  on  a  sand-bar.  Colonel  Sumner  calls  this  "Camp 
Buchanan,"  in  honor  of  the  President.  This  evening- 
orders  are  out,  dated  "Camp  Buchanan,  July  7,  1857," 
in  which  we  are  informed  that  pack  and  riding  mules 
must  be  made  ready  to  accompany  the  six  troops  of  cav- 
alry and  three  companies  of  infantry  in  pursuit  of  the 
hostile  Cheyennes.  Pending  the  campaign,  the  train  is 
to  return  to  Fort  Laramie,  be  refitted  and  loaded  with 
provisions  and  forage,  to  meet  the  command  at  some 
time  and  place  not  named  in  the  order. 

8th.  Centrally  located  is  the  blacksmith  shop,  under 
awnings  of  wagon  covers,  supported  by  poles,  with  port- 
able anvil,  bellows,  etc.,  soon  in  full  blast.  Small  coal 
pit  burned  during  the  night,  and  another  being  made 
ready ;  saddler  shop  near  by  under  similar  awnings,  trying 
to  make  pack-saddles  of  all  sorts  of  old  wagon  saddle- 
trees found  at  Laramie.  We  found  but  few  real  pack- 
saddles  there,  and  brought  none  from  Leavenworth. 
Carpenter  and  helpers  are  fitting  panniers — everybody 
busy  doing  the  best  under  the  circumstances. 

9th.  Selected  mules,  taking  care  to  use  those  that 
are  broken  to  ride,  including  saddle  mules  belonging  to 
teams,  and  the  teamsters  are  breaking  others.     Except 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  267 

a  few  Mexicans,  I  have  not  a  man  who  is  a  practical  pack- 
er; among  the  soldiers  there  are  none.  With  the  Mexi- 
cans I  established  a  sort  of  school,  but  they  are  hardly 
able  to  impart  to  others  what  they  know  themselves ;  how- 
ever, they  are  much  help  to  the  officers,  who  want  a  few 
men  instructed. 

10th,  11th  and  12th.  To  sum  up:  One  hundred 
and  eighty  pack  and  riding  mules,  170  blind  bridles, 
and  all  saddles  and  saddle  blankets  belonging  to  train 
turned  over  to  Lieutenant  Wheaton,  acting  quartermaster 
and  commissary  of  the  expedition. 

13th.  With  best  six-mule  teams  I  could  rig  up, 
crossed  the  packs  and  infantry  to  south  side  of  river  with- 
out accident,  and  returned  to  camp.  Before  parting, 
the  Colonel  complimented  me  on  the  good  work  done, 
told  me  what  he  expected  in  future,  and  as  he  shook  my 
hand,  said  that  my  pay  had  been  increased  twenty-five 
dollars  per  month  from  the  first  of  June.  I  was  to  re- 
turn to  Laramie,  150  miles,  turn  in  all  surplus  wagons 
and  harness,  refit  the  train,  and  make  as  many  six-mule 
teams  as  I  could,  load  the  wagons  with  corn  and  commis- 
saries, and  meet  him  at  Beauvais'  Crossing  of  South 
Platte,  where  we  crossed  coming  out,  by  the  first  of  Aug- 
ust, 175  miles  from  Laramie. 

And  now  the  "good-byes"  are  said  and  the  command 
is  gone.  Lieutenant  Eiddick  is  left  acting  commissary 
and  quarter  master  of  the  train  and  in  command  of  about 
fifty  men  on  their  first  campaign,  who,  having  bunged  up 
their  horses  or  themselves  are  no  longer  of  any  use  to  the 
jCheyenne  expedition,  and  are  left  dismounted  with  the 


268  FrvE  YBAR8  A  DRAGOON. 

train.  I  immediately  proceeded  to  fix  up  teams,  and 
found  myself  with  109  wagons,  twenty-five  six-mule 
teams,  eighteen  five-mule  teams,  sixty-six  four-mule 
teams,  equal  to  504  mules,  Riddick's  horse  and  mine,  and 
a  'few  broken-down  cavalry  horses,  which  we  will  turn  in 
at  Laramie.  Not  a  saddle  nor  saddle-blanket  for  the 
teams,  170  bridles  short.  I  had  been  preparing  for  this 
condition  of  things,  and  had  men  breaking  in  leader^  and 
saddle-mules  all  the  time  that  we  bad  been  here;  also 
had  to  rig  out  bridles,  using  ropes  and  straps  for  that 
purpose.  By  noon  we  were  straightened  out,  traveled 
twelve  miles  and  camped  above  Cottonwood  Grove  on  the 
Platte.  Lieutenant  Riddick  found  the  remains  of  Daugh- 
erty  on  an  island  a  little  below  camp  and  had  them  bur- 
ied, and  called  the  place  "Daugherty's  Island/' 

Mr.  Beery  went  with  pack  train  as  chief  "muleteer," 
and  took  Sim  Routh  and  his  pick  of  other  men  in  the 
train.  The  Colonel  left  the  "white  guide"  with  the  train, 
to  be  discharged  on  arrival  at  Laramie.  I  may  as  well 
dispose  of  him  now.  He  was  well-behaved  and  of  rather 
good  disposition — a  pleasant  man  to  get  along  with.  The 
day  after  our  arrival  at  Laramie  he  married  a  young- 
Sioux  Squaw — that  is,  he  tied  four  ponies  to  the  tepee  of 
a  warrier,  they  were  accepted  by  said  warrier,  and  the 
girl,  his  daughter,  became  the  bride  of  the  guide.  Four 
years  later  I  saw  this  same  man  married  in  due  form  to  n 
white  woman  by  a  clergyman  in  Denver,  while  the  squaw 
bride  witnessed  the  ceremony  through  a  window  as  she 
r|ood  upon  the  porch, 


FIVS  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

19th.  Camped  one  mile  above  Fort  Laramie.  Re- 
p  or  ted  here  that  General  Harney  was  to  have  left  Fort 
Leavenworth  on  the  15th  en  route  to  Utah. 

20th.  Turned  in  twenty-nine  wagons,  traveling- 
forge  and  surplus  harness,  and  found  myself  with  eighty 
six -mule  teams  complete  (including  saddles,  blankets, 
bridles  and  a  few  inferior  surplus  mules  which  we  drew 
from  the  quartermaster  here).  Drew  commissary,  med- 
ical and  other  stores  and  loaded  everything  but  corn. 

21st.  Loaded  130,000  pounds  of  corn,  drew  fifty 
rifles  and  two  boxes  of  ammunition  for  the  same  and 
eight  boxes  navy  pistol  cartridges,  issued  rifles  to  team- 
sters and  made  ready  for  start  in  the  morning.  One 
wagon  was  loaded  exclusively  with  supplies  for  officers 
when  we  should  meet  at  crossing  of  South  Platte.  Jim- 
merson  was  the  teamster  in  charge  of  this  wagon  and, 
strange  to  say,,  none  of  its  precious  contents  were  lost, 
stolen  or  evaporated. 

22d.  Passed  Bordeaus'  trading  place  and  camped 
below  Major  Bripp's  trading  house,  nineteen  miles  from 
Laramie. 

23d.  Fifteen  miles  and  camped  at  mouth  of  Horse 
Greek.  We  are  told  by  Mr.  Eeynolds,  an  Indian  trader, 
thalt  the  Cheyennes  iare  but  three  darys'  travel  south. 

If  Colonel  Sumner  meets  and  whips  them,  they  will 
likely  go  north,  Reynolds  thinks,  and  may  meet  us.  The 
management  of  the  train  is  left  to  me  and  I  take  no 
chances.  The  camp  is,  and  will  be  while  traveling  along 
the  r'ver,  by  making  the  train  form  three  sides  of  a 
square,  river  forming  the  fourth— say  twenty-six  wagons 


270  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

fronting  west,  twenty-six  south  and  twenty-six  east — 
wagons  about  twenty  feet  apart — river  forming  north 
line  of  the  camp  where  the  dismounted  soldiers  and 
their  mess  wagon  and  my  mess  wagon  will  camp.  Mules 
herded  outside  of  the  square  until  an  hour  before  sun- 
set and  then  picketed  on  half  lariat  inside.  Lieutenant 
Eiddick  places  sentinels  pretty  well  out  from  the  wagons. 
I  make  a  regular  detail  of  teamsters,  with  a  wagon- 
master  and  assistant  in  charge,  who  divide  the  night 
between  them,  and  I  am  to  be  called  at  any  and  all 
times  that  the  man  in  charge  sees  or  hears  anything 
suspicious,  or  that  he  does  not  understand.  The  detail 
for  sentinels  is  twelve  teamsters  each  night — half  be- 
ing on  post  the  first  half  of  the  night  and  half  the  last 
part.  This  gives  two  sentinels  on  the  west,  two  on  the 
south  and  two  on  the  east — the  roster  kept  so  that  each 
man  will  do  his  fair  share  of  guard  duty.  From  my 
experience  as  a  dragoon  I  send  two  or  three  men  mounted 
on  mules  to  highest  points  in  the  vicinity  of  camp, 
there  to  dismount  and  let  the  mules  graze  while  they 
keep  a  look  out  and  keep  me  informed  of  everything  of 
interest  from  the  time  we  camp  until  sunset. 

24th  to  27th.     Camped  each  night  on  Platte. 

28th.  Soon  after  leaving  camp,  saw  a  party  of  In- 
dians on  the  opposite  side  of  river,  supposed  to  be  Sioux. 
Indians  seen  along  bluffs  about  two  miles  from  camp. 
We  saw1  some  Sioux  squaws  along  the  bluff  between  In- 
dian camp  and  ours,  and  Eiddick  and  I  rode  out  to  see 
what  they  were  hunting  for,  and  found  they  were  after 
rattlesnakes,    and  they   found   them  plentiful.     I    dis- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  271 

mounted  and  watched  one  squaw  for  half  an  hour,  dur- 
ing which  she  got  three.  With  a  forked  stick  in  left 
hand  and  butcher  knife  in  the  other,  she  crept  towards 
the  snake  until  he  was  ready  to  "strike,"  when  quickly 
and  skillfully  she  pinned  him  down  by  placing  the  forked 
stick  close  to  his  head,  pressing  down  firmly  and  ampu- 
tating the  head.  By  killing  them  in  this  way  they  had 
no  chance  to  bite  themselves,  which  they  do  when  hurt 
or  angry.  When  they  do  not  bite  themselves,  thereby 
poisoning  the  meat,  it  is  good  to  eat,  and  that  is  what 
the  squaws  wanted  them  for.  Having  severed  the  head 
from  the  body,  the  squaw  caught  the  latter  and  thrust 
it  into  the  folds  of  her  blanket  next  to  her  buckskin 
shirt. 

Arrived  at  Ash  Hollow  at  10  o'clock  and  camped. 
Storm  subsided  and  left  a  bright,  sunny  day.  After 
lunch  mounted  my  horse,  and  with  "Billy"  Daniels  for 
a  companion,  went  in  search  of  a  road  out  of  Ash  Hol- 
low to  avoid  the  one  already  in  use,  which  is  altogether 
impracticable  for  us  with  our  heavy  loads — 3,500  pounds 
in  each  wagon.  The  teams  could  no  more  than  pull  up 
the  empty  wagons,  and  we  should  have  to  double  teams 
and  haul  up  a  little  at  a  time,  straining  mules  and  break- 
ing chains.  We  found  and  staked  out  a  route  that  can 
be  traveled  without  much  difficulty — five  hours'  hard 
riding  to  find  a  route  three  miles  through  the   bluffs. 

30th.  Off  at  5 :00,  took  the  new  route  and  at  8 :00 
o'clock  all  wagons  were  at  the  top  of  the  hill  in  safety, 
with  no  accident  except  upsetting  one  wagon  by  care- 
lessness. 

18- 


272  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Having  faMy  straightened  out  the  train  at  the  top 
of  the  hill,  a  band  of  Indians  came  in  sight  from  the 
east  at  a  fast  gallop.  I  started  the  train  into  corral, 
giving  the  sign  by  riding  my  horse  in  a  circle;  the  move- 
ment was  quickly  commenced,  wagonmasters  and  team- 
sters moving  with  a  will.  Eiddick  quickly  formed  his 
soldiers  in  line  ready  for  business,  while  I  rode  to  a 
high  point,  with  Manuel  for  an  interpreter,  and  mo- 
tioned them  to  stop.  They  came  down  to  a  walk,  and 
when  within  hailing  distance  were  told  to  stop  and  let 
their  chief  came  up.  This  they  did,  "Man-afraid-of- 
his-horse"  approached,  "Howed,"  shook  hands,  and  asked 
for  something  to  eat,  I  cut  the  talk  short  by  telling 
him  that  we  must  keep  all  we  had  for  Colonel  Sumner's 
command,  which  was  after  the  Cheyennes  and  would  be 
very  hungry  when  we  met.  The  chief  promised  not  to 
come  any  nearer  and  I  shook  his  hand,  galloped  to  the 
train  and  straightened  out  on  the  road.  The  Indians 
had  no  hostile  intent. 

Fourteen  miles  brought  us  into  camp  one  mile  above 
crossing  of  South  Platte.  Immediately  after  lunch,  about 
1  o'clock,  I  retired  to  my  tent  to  sleep  off  the  fatigue 
of  yesterday,  and  told  my  cook  not  to  allow  any  one 
to  disturb  me  unless  for  some  good  reason.  At  5  o'clock 
he  woke  me  and  said  that  Lieutenant  Eiddick  wanted 
me  to  come  to  the  river  bank;  there  were  Indians  on 
the  other  side.  I  took  no  arms,  contrary  to  my  habit 
of  always  being  ready.  There  were  four  Indians,  and  I 
sent  a  man  with  a  white  towel  for  a  flag  to  a  small  is- 
land to  wave  it  as  an  invitation  to  come  over,  hoping 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  273 

to  hear  something  from  Colonel  Sumner.  As  soon  as 
the  man  beckoned  them  to  come  over,  one  galloped  off 
up  the  river  and  the  other  three  took  off  their  saddles 
and  commenced  to  cross  bareback.  It  was  easier  and 
safer  to  cross  without  saddles.  They  were  soon  in  camp, 
claimed  to  be  Sioux  but  proved  to  be  Cheyennes.  1  ad- 
vised taking  them  prisoners,  which  Eiddick  agreed  to, 
and  I  explained  to  him  the  difficulty  of  doing  so  with- 
out injuring  them,  which  we  must  avoid  if  possible. 

The  teamsters  were  now  bringing  in  the  mules  and 
picketing  them  on  half  lariat  between  us  and  the  river. 
The  soldiers  had  been  cleaning  their  guns  for  inspection, 
and  stood  idly  by.  Having  arrived  at  my  tent,  Manuel 
Vijii,  a  Mexican  who  had  lived  with  the  Sioux  and  un- 
derstood the  Cheyenne  language,  especially  the  sign  lan- 
guage, was  called  to  act  as  interpreter.  '  The  Indians 
seemed  frightened  on  seeing  the  soldiers,  but  were  as- 
sured that  no  harm  would  come  to  them:  that  we  would 
feed  and  take  care  of  them,  etc.  We  all  sat  upon  the 
ground,  Eiddick  facing  one  Indian,  I  another,  and  Man- 
uel the  third.  At  Eiddick's  request,  I  played  the  part 
of  "White  Chief,"  and  did  the  talking.  They  were 
asked  why  they  came  into  our  camp,  and  reolied  that, 
being  very  hungry  and  thinking  it  a  freight  or  emi- 
grant train,  they  hoped  to  cet  some  thin  -  to  eat.  Asked 
where  their  people  were,  thev  said  that  some  of  them 
were  on  the  South  Platte,  near  the  mouth  of  Pole  Creek, 
about  twenty  miles  above  us.  This  corroborated  my  sus- 
picion that  the  fourth  Indian,  who  rode  off  up  the  river, 
had  gone  to   some   camp.      Asked   if   they   knew  where 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Colonel  Sumner's  command  was,  the  big  brave  said  that 
they  did,  but  did  not  want  to  talk  about  that.  They 
were  then  informed  that  this  was  Colonel  Sumner's  sup- 
ply train,  and  that  they  were  prisoners;  that  they  would 
be  well  treated  and  fed;  that  we  would  take  care  of 
their  arms  and  ponies  until  Colonel  Sumner's  arrival, 
which  would  be  in  a  day  or  two.  To  this  their  leader, 
a  large,  powerful  fellow,  six  feet  four  inches  high,  and 
stronglv  pock-marked,  appeared  to  agree,  but  said  some- 
thing very  low  to  the  others,  which  Manuel  afterwards 
interpreted  to  be :  "You  young  men  can  do  as  you  please, 
but  I  am  no  longer  a  boy  to  give  up  my  bow."  It  was 
a  trying  moment.  I  realized  that  their  compliance  with 
my  request  would  come  only  after  a  physical  struggle. 
We  did  not  want  to  do  violence  to  these  three  Indians 
in  a  camp  of  150  men;  it  would  seem  shameful;  yet  we 
must  keep  them  prisoners.  We  all  stood  up,  fifty  men 
standing  around,  half  of  them  with  loaded  rifles.  Quick 
as  thought  the  big  fellow  sprang  on  his  pony,  and  was 
off  towards  the  river.  Twenty  or  more  shots  were  fired 
after  him,  but  his  pony  tangled  in  the  mules'  lariats 
and  fell,  pitching  the  Indian  into  a  slough  separating 
some  small  islands  from  the  main  land. 

All  but  Manuel  and  myself  rushed  after  the  escap- 
ing Indian,  while  Manuel,  a  big,  broad-shouldered,  pow- 
erful man,  seized  one  of  the  others  from  behind,  pin- 
ioned his  arms  tightly,  laid  him  on  the  ground  and 
there  held  him;  I  reached  for  the  bow  of  the  third  one, 
when  he  eluded  me  and  I  struck  him  a  powerful  blow 
in  the  face,  thinking  to  knock  him  down;  but  he  only 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  275 

bounded  like  a  ball,  drew  his  scalping  knife  and  came 
near  stabbing  me.  I  seized  him  by  the  wrists  and  held 
up  his  hands,  realizing  that  to  let  go  meant  death  to 
me,  while  he  sprang  into  the  air  like  a  wild  tiger,  try- 
ing with  all  his  might  to  break  away,  and  yelling  like 
a  maniac.  This  lasted  a  minute  or  two  until  "Billy" 
Daniels,  a  fine  young  teamster,  came  to  my  assistance. 
I  told  him  to  get  behind  the  Indian,  pinion  his  arms 
and  lay  him  down  on  the  ground,  which  he  did ;  and  with 
both  hands  I  took  his  knife,  bow,  quiver  and  arrows. 
His  saddle,  lariat,  bow,  quiver,  arrows  and  scalping  knife 
fell  to  me,  and  on  my  return  to  Fort  Leavenworth  1 
gave  them  to  my  friend  Levi  Wilson,  who  sent  them  to 
his  father,  Dr.  Wilson,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Small  rope  was  brought  and  I  soon  had  both  tied 
hand  and  foot.  Then  I  mounted  my  horse  and  searched 
the  small  islands  near  shore  for  the  big  brave,  thinking 
he  must  be  wounded  or  killed;  but  did  not  find  him.  If 
he  was  hit,  he  might  have  sunk  in  the  muddy  stream, 
and  one  could  not  see  a  foot  under  water;  and  if  not, 
he  could  lie  on  his  back  under  over-hanging  willows  with 
nose  far  enough  out  of  the  water  to  breathe  until  dark, 
and  then  make  his  escape.  His  pony,  lariat,  blanket, 
bow,  quiver  and  arrows  were  left  behind.  For  want  of 
proper  irons  we  used  small  chains  and  padlocks  from  the 
front  boxes  of  wagons  to  iron  the  two  prisoners,  the  right 
hand  of  one  fastened  to  the  left  hand  of  the  other.  We 
had  a  tent  pitched  for  them,  and  a  soldier  sentinel  placed 
in  front  and  one  in  rear.  And  now  the  interpreter, 
Lieutenant  Riddick,  and  I  commenced  a  pumping  process 


276  FIVE  YEARS  A  bRAQOOti. 

to  find  out  from  the  young  fellows  all  we  could  of  Col- 
onel Sumner.  We  learned  that  he  had  had  a  battle  the 
day  before,  that  some  Indians  were  killed  and  wounded, 
as  well  as  some  soldiers,  that  the  Cheyennes  were  scat- 
tered, most  of  them  going  north,  crossing  the  South 
Platte  near  the  mouth  of  Pole  Creek.  We  believed  these 
statements  to  be  fairly  correct.  The  Indian  that  I  cap- 
tured was  a  son  of  the  head  chief,  and  the  other  was 
his  cousin,  each  about  twenty-two  years  old,  tall,  well 
built,  and  very  handsome  Indians  —  the  best  type  of 
Cheyennes. 

And  now  the  suspicion  arose  that  there  might  be  a 
large  camp  of  Cheyennes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mouth 
of  Pole  Creek.  We  had  the  chief's  son,  and  there  might 
be  an  effort  made  to  stampede  or  capture  our  train  to 
give  the  youngsters  a  chance  to  escape,  and  I  immediate- 
ly set  to  work  to  corral  the  wagons  so  as  to  make  a  solid 
fort,  with  room  for  men  and  animals  inside.  Setting 
the  first  wagon,  the  next  came  up  and  struck  its  left 
front  wheel  against  the  right  hind  wheel  of  the  first, 
with  tongue  on  the  outside — each  wagon  coming  up  so 
as  to  make  the  circle  more  complete;  when  the  last 
wagon  but  one  was  in,  that  one  would  close  the  mouth 
of  the  corral  so  that  nothing  could  get  in  or  out.  All 
this  we  did  by  hand  in  two  hours,  put  all  of  the  animals 
inside  and  closed  the  gap  with  the  last  wagon.  Then 
1  examined  all  arms  in  the  hands  of  teamsters,  and  saw 
that  each  had  fifty  rounds  of  ammunition.  Riddick  did 
the  same  with  the  soldiers.  A  strong  guard  was  posted, 
and  all  was  quiet. 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


277 


A  candle  was  kept  burning  in  the  prisoners'  tent, 
and  lying  a  few  feet  from  the  open  front,  without  being 


Wagon    Corral. 


seen,  I  watched  them.  They  whispered  together  a  good 
deal  and  seemed  to  be  listening,  wrapped  in  a  state  of 
expectance.     There  was  a  dismal  sound  of  wolves  howl- 


278  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

ing  in  every  direction.  That  was  nothing  new;  we  heard 
them  howling  every  night;  hut  one  of  them  sent  out  a 
peculiar  howl,  unlike  any  of  the  others;  he  howled  at 
intervals  directly  south  across  the  river.  To  this  the 
young  chief  and  his  fellow  prisoner  sat  up  and  listened 
eagerly.  Wolves  wading  across  a  shallow  river  make 
about  the  same  splashing  noise  that  a  horse  does,  and 
auite  a  number  crossed  during  the  night.  An  hour  had 
passed  since  I  had  heard  the  peculiar  howl  referred  to, 
when  it  broke  out  again  on  our  side  of  the  river  above 
tfce  camp.  I  now  felt  convinced,  as  I  had  before  be- 
lieved, that  this  particular  howl  was  by  an  Indian,  by 
which  he  conveyed  information  to  the  prisoners.  There 
was  no  sleep  for  me,  for  I  believed  thjat  there  was  a  large 
band  of  Cheyennes  in  our  neighborhood,  but  we  had  no 
fear  of  the  whole  Cheyenne  Nation,  the  way  we  were  cor- 
ralled.   Vigilance  was  all  that  we  needed. 

July  31st.  Camp  aroused  an  hour  before  daylight 
in  anticipation  of  an  attack,  about  dawn  being  a  favor- 
ite time  with  Indians  to  surprise  unsuspecting  sleepers. 
Daylight  came,  but  no  enemy  in  sight.  After  breakfast, 
with  three  men  mounted  on  mules,  I  scoured  the  coun- 
try to  the  highest  bluffs  north,  and  then  posted  them 
as  videttes  on  three  prominent  points  half  a  mile  from 
camp.  I  then  rode  a  couple  of  miles  up  the  river,  but 
discovered  nothing  but  the  tracks  of  two  ponies  which 
crossed  the  river  during  the  night.  About  4:00  p.  m. 
an  Indian  approached  the  river  on  the  opposite  side  to 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  bank,  reconnoitered  a  while 
and  then  rode  away.     About  5  o'clock  an  express  ar- 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  279 

rived  from  Laramie  with  mail  for  the  command,  which 
failed  to  reach  Colonel  Sumner  by  a  former  express;  it 
was  brought  by  a  mountaineer  called  aBig  Phil,"  accom- 
panied by  a  Sioux  Indian.  No  news  from  Colonel  Sum- 
ner; mules  herded  close  to  corral  under  strong  guard, 
ready  to  rush  them  in  quickly  if  necessary. 

August  1st.  Videttes  posted  and  mules  herded  by 
strong  mounted  guard  near  by  corral.  I  crossed  the  river 
and  met  one  of  Majors  &  Company's  trains  en  route  to 
Salt  Lake.  No  news  from  Colonel  Sumner  and  none 
from  the  "States."  Eode  five  miles  up  the  river  and 
found  plenty  of  Indian  pony  tracks.  Some  soldiers 
crossed  over  and  found  two  saddles  belonging  to  our  pris- 
oners. This  shows  that  the  Indian  who  escaped  took  his 
saddle  for  another  horse,  when  he  joins  his  tribe  or  gets 
a  chance  to  steal  one.  No  Indians  seen  to-day.  This 
evening  Lieutenant  Kiddick  consented  to  send  out  two 
Mexican  spies,  Manuel  Vijil  (pronounced  Vi-heel)  and 
Malquis  Mestos,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  loca- 
tion of  the  Cheyenne  camp,  supposed  to  be  near  the 
mouth  of  Pole  Creek,  perhaps  twenty  miles  above  us. 
Manuel  was  given  a  letter  from  Lieutenant  Eiddick  to 
Colonel  Sumner,  in  case  he  should  meet  him,  and  he  was 
instructed  to  find  the  Cheyenne  camp  if  possible,  count 
the  lodges,  see  which  way  they  faced,  take  cognizance 
of  every  ravine  or  pass  leading  to  the  camp,  etc.,  and 
to  return  to  our  camp  by  evening  of  the  3d  inst.  They 
were  furnished  horses,  feed  and  arms,  and  passed  the 
guard  at  12:00  midnight. 

2d.     The   expressman,   "Big   Phil"   and   the   Sioux 


280  FiyE  TEARS  A  DRAGOOti. 

Indian  left  us  at  sunrise.  They  had  been  permitted  to 
talk  with  the  prisoners,  it  being  known  that  they  would 
tell  of  it  to  any  Indians  they  happened  to  meet,  and  by 
that  means  the  safety  of  the  prisoners  would  be  known 
to  their  friends;  and  it  was  believed  that  the  Cheyennes 
might  be  induced  to  come  in  and  make  terms  for  peace. 
Moved  camp  one  and  one-half  miles  up  river  for  fresh 
grass.  Improved  this  time  to  practice  in  corralling,  so 
as  always  to  be  ready  to  corral  quickly  by  driving  round 
in  a  circle  without  confusion.  A  hundred  men  well 
armed  inside  of  my  corral  could  stand  off  thousands  with 
bows  and  arrows. 

After  the  videttes  had  been  posted  on  high  ground 
and  I  or  one  or  two  wagonmasters  had  explored  a  lit- 
tle, the  mules  are  turned  out  to  gaze  and  kept  out  until 
within  an  hour  of  sunset,  and  then  shut  up  in  the  cor- 
ral for  the  night.  We  feed  corn  to  wagonmasters',  Mex- 
icans' and  Kiddick's  and  my  horses  to  keep  them  in  con- 
dition for  long  rides  or  stampedes  at  any  time;  no  other 
animals  are  fed.  We  save  the  corn  for  the  command 
when  it  reaches  us. 

August  3d.  Mexicans  return  this  evening,  and  re- 
port having  found  a  camp  of  seven  lodges  on  the  south 
side  of  South  Platte,  nearly  opposite  mouth  of  Pole  Creek, 
where  there  had  been  two  other  camps.  They  found  a 
chart  in  one  of  the  camps  marked  on  a  buffalo  skull, 
showing  that  the  Indians  had  taken  the  route  up  Pole 
Creek  to  a  point  opposite  Smith's  Fork,  thence  north 
across  North  Platte.  The  Mexicans  saw  one  Indian  to- 
day, but  could  not  get  near  him.     "No  news  or  sign  of 


FltE   YEARS  A   DRAGOON.  281 

Colonel  Sumner.     Heavy  rain  and  electric  storm  during 
the  night. 

August  4th.  I  called  for  volunteers  to  go  to  the 
camp  of  seven  lodges.  Twenty  teamsters  and  the  two 
Mexicans  above  mentioned  got  ready,  armed  with  rifles 
and  revolvers. 

August  5th.  Off  at  sunrise;  teamsters  on  mules. 
Mexicans  and  myself  on  horses;  crossed  river  opposite 
camp,  up  south  side  to  the  seven  lodges.  There  they 
stood,  but  no  Indians  in  sight,  and  a  careful  reconnais- 
sance revealed  none.  Everything  indicated  that  they 
had  gone  in  a  hurry,  leaving  besides  lodges,  many  useful 
articles;  live  coals  of  a  small  fire  still  smouldering,  and 
cooking  utensils  that  would  not  be  abandoned  except  in 
case  of  necessity.  Looking  across  the  river,  up  Pole 
Creek,  we  saw  a  band  of  Indians  in  rapid  retreat  two 
miles  away.  Undoubtedly  my  party  had  been  seen,  and 
the  Indians  were  in  too  much  of  a  hurry  to  encumber 
themselves  with  lodges.  The  party  seemed  quite  large 
and  their  precipitate  retreat  indicated  that  they  were 
greatly  demoralized.  The  Indian  trail  coming  from  the 
south  was  broad  and  quite  well  worn,  showing  that  many 
had  traveled  it  recently,  and  quite  a  number  since  the 
rain  night  before  last.  Manuel  and  I  were  so  impressed 
with  the  indications  of  recent  Indian  travel  over  this 
line,  that  we  instinctively  looked  south  for  some  por- 
tion of  Colonel  Sumner's  command  in  pursuit.  We  saved 
one  of  the  lodges,  a  nice  small  one,  pack-saddle  and  a 
bushel  or  two  of  kinickinick  (the  inside  bark  of  red 
willow,   dried),   enough   for   all   hands   to  smoke   for   a 


282  FIYE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

month,  piled  everything  else  together  and  burned  it. 
Placing  sentinels  on  several  high  points,  with  the  Mex- 
icans and  "Billy"  Daniels,  I  rode  to  the  camp  two  miles 
above;  found  a  chart  on  a  buffalo  head  and  everything 
to  corroborate  Manuel's  statement;  had  him  bring  the 
head  to  camp.  To  me  it  revealed  the  fact  that  the  scat- 
tering bands  were  going  to  concentrate  somewhere  north 
of  North  Platte,  and  it  might  be  valuable  information 
for  Colonel  Sumner.  Returned  to  my  party  and  thence 
to  camp  without  incident,  except  plentiful  signs  of  In- 
dians having  traveled  up  and  down  the  river  opposite  our 
camp  —  surely  Cheyennes.  There  were  tracks  of  two 
American  horses,  with  shoes  on,  that  had  passed  the 
camp  both  ways  since  the  rain,  indicating  that  Colonel 
Sumner  may  have  lost  some  horses. 

August  7th  and  8th.  Nothing  new.  Several  false 
alarms.  Each  sunny  day  the  wagon  covers  are  thrown 
off  so  that  the  sun  may  dry  out  any  dampness  that  may 
have  accumulated.  If  rain  has  beaten  in,  the  loading  is 
taken  out  and  repacked.  Damp  commissaries  and  corn 
soon  spoil  under*  wagon  covers  exposed  to  the  hot  sun. 
Many  horses  and  mules  die  of  colic  caused  by  eating  corn 
thus  exposed.  It  gathers  dampness,  swells,  heats,  gets 
musty,  moldy  and  finally  rotten,  unfit  for  any  animal  to 
eat.  There  is  nothing  so  demoralizing  for  men  as  idle- 
ness, and  examining  loads,  unloading  and  re-loading  wag- 
ons is  a  great  benefit  to  men  and  stores. 

The  Indian  prisoners  seem  to  have  outgrown  their 
fears  of  violence,  and  to  have  overcome  their  aversion  to 
Manuel  and  myself,  who  were  the  prime  cause  of  their 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  283 

captivity;  in  short,  they  have  become  quite  communicative. 
The  one  who  fell  into  my  hands  says  that  after  the  fight 
the  Cheyennes  scattered,  agreeing  to  go  north  and  meet 
from  time  to  time  at  some  point  north  of  the  North 
Platte.  When  told  of  what  we  found  near  the  mouth 
of  Pole  Creek,  the  buffalo  head  with  chart  having  been 
shown  them,  they  said  that  that  camp  was  a  sort  of  depot 
of  supplies  and  information  to  assist  those  going  north. 
Being  closely  questioned,  the  young  chief  said  the  wolf 
that  made  the  peculiar  noise  the  night  of  their  capture 
was  his  father,  and  that  two  other  nights  he  had  heard 
his  father.  He  thought  the  Cheyennes  too  much  scatter- 
ed to  attack  our  train,  and  thought  his  father  would  not 
do  so  for  fear  of  what  might  happen  to  them;  in  fact  suf- 
ficient assurancs  had  been  given  through  the  peculiar 
wolf  howl,  that  they  would  not  disturb  the  train.  And 
we  believed  that  their  captivity  would  have  a  strong  in- 
fluence in  including  the  Cheyennes  to  come  to  terms  and 
sue  for  peace. 

August  9th.  This  morning  one  of  Childs'  ox  trains 
passed  en  route  to  the  "States."  By  it  we  learned  that 
the  mail  passed  west  during  the  night.  Sent  two  men 
and  caught  mail  at  Ash  Hollow. 

August  10th.  Crossed  train  over  river  without  acci- 
dent, and  camped  one  mile  below  where  we  had  so  much 
trouble  in  June.  Water  is  low;  half  the  river  bed  a 
dry  sand  bar;  Lieutenant  Riddick  took  211  sacks  of  corn 
from  one  of  Major  Russell's  trains  en  route  to  Laramie, 
believing  that   Colonel   Sumner's   command  would   soon 


284  VW®  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

be  here.  Some  Indians  seen  this  evening  supposed  to  be 
Sioux. 

August.  11th.  This  morning  a  band  of  Sioux,  under 
"Man-Afraid-of-His-Horses,"  crossed  from  north  to  south 
side  of  the  river.  Only  the  chief  allowed  to  come  into 
camp.  He  was  told  to  keep  away  from  the  mule  herd, 
and  not  to  allow  his  men  to  come  near.  In  the  meantime 
the  mules  were  corralled.  The  Indians  soon  left,  and 
the  mules  were  again  turned  out.  A  wagonmaster  or 
his  assistant  is  with  the  herd  all  of  the  time,  and  he  i» 
instructed  to  corral  on  the  appearance  of  Indians,  whether 
there  seems  to  be  danger  or  not.  One  of  the  herders 
leads  a  horse  with  a  bell  on  his  neck,  and  when  the  herd 
is  to  be  corralled  he  rattles  the  bell  violently  and  gallops 
for  the  corral.  The  passageway  is  always  kept  clear  when 
mules  are  out.  The  mules  have  now  gotten  so  used  to 
this  that  they  run  for  the  corral  when  the  bell  is  rattled, 
and  could  hardly  be  kept  from  it.  About  noon  a  train 
came  in  sight  down  the  river.  Of  course  we  are  all  ex- 
pectancy, hoping  that  every  outfit  that  comes  in  sight 
may  be  ours.  I  rode  out  and  met  Colonel  M.  F.  W.  Ma- 
graw and  his  surveying  party,  en  route  to  California,  with 
"Tim"  Goodale,  the  celebrated  mountaineer,  as  guide.  I 
had  met  him  here  in  1851.  Major  Johnson,  Sixth  Infan- 
try, en  route  to  Laramie,  is  with  Magraw.  Magraw  with 
his  fifty  wagons  camped  near  us,  and  half  the  night  was 
spent  in  gathering  the  news  from  him,  Goodale  and  John- 
son.    They  left  us  a  few  old  papers. 

August  12th.  Magraw's  train  crossed  the  river  and 
camped  on  north  bank.    He,  Goodale,  and  M^jor  Johnson 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  285 

dined  with  us.  Goodale  belonged  to  the  class  of  moun- 
taineers who  ranked  with  Sublett,  Fitzpatrick,  Bridger, 
etc.,  with  Carson  as  the  recognized  head — reliable  charac- 
ters, unmixed  with  false  heroism,  intelligent  and  trust- 
worthy. The  young  Cheyennes  knew  him,  and  he  learned 
from  them  about  what  they  had  told  us,  and  he  thought 
the  information  pretty  correct.  Of  course  Goodale  knew 
nothing  of  Colonel  Sumner's  fight,  but  judging  from 
what  the  prisoners  said,  it  was  forty  hours  afterwards 
that  they  came  to  my  camp,  and  he  thought  the  Chey- 
ennes were  sure  to  retreat  north;  they  would  not  be  likely 
to  go  south  or  west,  and  surely  not  east;  they  could  get 
north  of  the  Xorth  Platte  more  easily,  and  soon  be  in  a 
comparatively  safe  country,  at  that  time  almost  unknown 
to  the  whites.  He  wondered  why  Colonel  Sumner  was 
not  hot  after  them,  as  they  passed  within  twenty  miles  of 
his  supply  train,  and  some  of  them  much  nearer,  unless 
he  was  himself  too  much  crippled  to  follow;  at  any  rate, 
if  the  Cheyennes  were  whipped  anywhere  on  the  branches 
of  the  Kaw  River  they  would  retreat  north  if  possible; 
and  we  had  ample  proof  that  the  chief  (whose  son  and 
nephew  were  our  prisoners)  and  most  of  his  people  did 
go  north.  Any  one  who  knew  the  country  north  of 
Xorth  Platte  would  know  they  would  do  that,  and  then 
old  "Tim"  expressed  the  opinion  that  Colonel  Sumner's 
guides  knew  nothing  about  the  haunts  of  the  Cheyennes 
in  the  northern  country. 

Mr.  K.  M.  Peck,  of  Whit-tier,  California,  has  written 
an  interesting  account  of  the  Cheyenne  expedition,  as  he 
remembers  it;  and  as  a  soldier  in  the  First  Cavalry  he 


286  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

participated  in  the  battle  and  in  pursuit  of  some  of  the 
Chevennes,  the  command  going  to  the  Arkansas  after- 
wards, undoubtedly  opposite  to  the  route  taken  by  most 
of  them  (see  Mr.  Peck's  letter  in  Kansas  State  Historical 
Society's  collections,  Volume  VIII). 

13th.  Went  with  Colonel  Magraw  to  Ash  Hollow. 
He  passed  his  train  over  my  new  route  without  difficulty, 
and  named  it  "Lowe's  Route  Avoiding  Ash  Hollow  Hill." 

14th.  In  the  evening  one  mule  left  the  herd  and  ran 
down  the  road,  followed  by  Assistant  Wagonmaster  Stan- 
ley and  two  teamsters.  They  soon  returned  and  reported 
that  they  saw  Indians  on  the  north  side  of  the  river. 
Messrs.  Patrick,  Cecil  and  I  went  in  pursuit  as  far  as  Nine 
Mile  Tree,  where  we  found  Captain  Van  Vliet,  quarter- 
master of  the  Utah  army,  camped.  His  men  had  caught 
my  mule.  Captain  Van  Vliet  is  on  the  way  to  Salt  Lake, 
to  return  immediately.  He  informed  me  that  while  Colo- 
nel Sumner's  whereabouts  are  unknown,  four  of  the  six 
troops  of  cavalry  now  with  him  are  to  go  to  Utah,  while 
the  Colonel  with  the  other  two  troops  returns  to  Leaven- 
worth. The  three  companjies  of  infantry  now  under 
Colonel  Sumner  (C,  D  and  G-,  Sixth),  with  the  company 
at  Laramie  (B,  Sixth),  are  also  to  go  to  Utah.  Colonel 
Alexander,  Tenth  Infantry,  with  advance  troops  for  Salt 
Lake,  expected  in  a  day  or  two.  Returned  to  camp  at 
midnight. 

15th.  Captain  Van  Vliet  passed  this  morning.  I 
led  the  command  over  the  river,  as  I  did  every  other  mili- 
tary outfit  while  we  were  camped  near  tbe  crossing,  and 
was  able  to  serve  many  of  them  to  good  advantage. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON-  287 

17th.  An  express  from  Laramie,  "Big  Phil"  arrived 
at  sunrise.  Keceived  several  letters  from  friends.  No 
news  from  Colonel  Sumner.  A  party  of  returning  Cali- 
fornians  camped  near  by.  The  party  was  managed  by 
Mr.  D.  0.  Mills,  a  banker  of  San  Francisco,  and  a  sea,  cap- 
tain whose  name  I  have  forgotten.     They  stopped  in  Salt 

Lake  several  days.     Mr.  Mills  and  Captain  seemed 

to  be  very  superior  men  and  not  inclined  to  talk  romance. 
This  is  the  D.  0.  Mills  of  New  York  whose  name  is  hon- 
ored throughout  the  financial  world.  They  camped  near 
us  two  days.  They  needed  rest  and  took  it  while  they 
could  safely  do  so  near  our  outfit. 

21st.  Colonel  Alexander  crossed  over  and  camped 
on  the  north  side.  I  led  the  train  and  gave  him  full  in- 
formation of  route  to  Laramie.  Saw  Mr.  Andrew  Garton 
and  son,  beef  contractors  of  Clay  County,  Missouri,  who 
are  driving  a  large  herd  of  cattle  for  delivery  at  Laramie 
under  escort  of  the  Tenth.  Lieutenant  Bryan's  party 
arrived  from  Bridgets  Pass  and  camped  near  us.  Dr. 
Covey  joined  us  from  Lieutenant  Bryan — quite  an  ac- 
quisition to  our  mess. 

22nd.  Colonel  Alexander  marched  early.  Lieuten- 
ant Bryan's  party  left  en  route  to  the  States. 

Captain  Dixon,  quartermaster,  and  Captain  Clark, 
commissary,  rrrived  a^d  crossed  the  river  en  rout2  to  Utah. 
Utah.  They  bring  news  that  Colonel  Sumner  had  a  fight 
with  the  Cheyennes  on  the  29th  of  July.  Large  body  of 
Indians  formed  in  battle  array,  and  the  cavalry  charged 
with  drawn  sabers.  Twelve  Indians  were  left  on  the  field 
and  many  wounded ;  cavalry  lost  two  men  killed,  and  Lieu> 

19- 


288  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAQOOlt. 

tenant  Stuart  and  eight  men  wounded.  Captain  Foote 
with  his  company  of  Sixth  Infantry  bringing  the  wounded 
to  Fort  KeaTney.  The  fight  is  said  to  have  taken  place 
on  Solomon's  Fork  of  the  Kaw  River.  Colonel  Sumner 
followed  the  Indians,  burned  their  lodges  and  other  prop- 
erty, and  then  followed  their  trail,  as  he  supposed,  en 
route  to  the  Arkansas.  Colonel  Sumner  established  a 
camp  on  Walnut  Creek,  leaving  two  companies  of  in- 
fantry there,  under  Captain  Ketchum.  Sent  Lieutenant 
Lomax  to  Fort  Riley  after  supplies.  This  is  the  first 
news  of  Colonel  Sumner's  command  except  what  the  pris- 
oners gave  us.  Moved  camp  five  miles  up  river.  We 
think  the  chances  much  against  Colonel  Sumner  ever 
coming  to  us.  For  sanitairy  reasons  one  camp  should 
not  be  long  occupied;  it  becomes  filthy  and  the  corrals 
muddy  and  unclean. 

August  24th.  Fifth  Infantry  camped  nine  miles  be- 
low crossing  en  route  to  Utah.  More  than  half  of  the 
regiment  said  to  have  deserted  since  leaving  Florida,  two 
months  ago. 

25th.  Fifth  Infantry  crossed  river.  Animals  in  good 
condition,  the  credit  of  which  is  largely  due  to  my  friend 
"Jim"  Miller,  the  head  wagonmaster,  who  always  herds 
mules  and  never  starves  them  at  the  lariat.  He  came 
to  me  at  Riley  in  the  fall  of  1855  with  the  Second  Dra- 
goons from  Texas,  and  is  one  of  the  very  best  in  his  line. 
28th.  Express  arrived  from  Kearney  bringing  letters 
from  Captain  Foote  and  Lieutenant  Stuart  to  Lieutenant 
Kiddick,  and  orders  from  Colonel  Sumner  to  Lieutenant 
Riddick  for  the  train  to  proceed  to  Kearney,  turn  in  all 
stores  not  necessary  for  use,  and  proceed  to  Fort  Leaven* 


I    j  FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON-  289 

worth.  Colonel  Sumner  gone  to  the  Arkansas,  and  will 
go  from  there  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  he  will  prob- 
ably arrive  as  soon  as  we  do.  Though  there  has  been  no 
hardship  in  our  stay  here,  there  has  been  a  good  deal 
of  anxiety.  The  long  suspense  is  very  monotonous,  and 
all  are  glad  to  move. 

29th.  En  route  to  Kearney.  When  nine  miles  be- 
low the  crossing  an  express  arrived  from  General  Har- 
ney a.t  Leavenworth,  ordering  that  the  train  proceed  to 
Ash  Hollow  and  there  remain  until  the  arrival  of  four 
troops  of  the  First  Cavalry  and  three  companies  of  Sixth 
Infantry  en  route  to  Utah.  The  order  presupposes  the 
train  to  be  at  Kearney,  and  directs  Lieutenant  Eiddick 
to  take  supplies  from  that  post  sufficient  to  subsist  the 
four  troops  and  three  companies  to  Laramie.  As  he  has 
not  sufficient  supplies,  Lieutenant  Eiddick  determined  to 
proceed  to  Kearney  and  procure  them,  and,  unless  other- 
wise ordered,  return  to  Ash  Hollow  and  remain  as  di- 
rected.    Camped  at  Nine  Mile  Tree. 

31st.  Camped  below  O'Fallon's  Bluffs  at  Freemont 
Spring,  the  head  of  big  slough  that  runs  parallel  with 
the  South  Platte,  twenty  or  more  miles.  When  coming 
into  camp,  an  Indian  and  two  squaws  with  pack-pony 
dragging  lodge  and  poles  crossed  the  road  from  the  south 
going  north.  The  "buck"  said  that  they  were  Sioux;  I 
thought  them  Cheyennes.  When  in  mid-river,  becoming 
frightened,  they  cut  away  their  packs  and  ran,  which 
confirms  my  belief  that  they  were  Cheyennes.  I  was 
sorry  to  see  their  effects  thus  thrown  away.  The  poor 
squaws  were  safe  enough, 


290  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

September  7th.  Camped  at  Fort  Kearney.  And 
now  we  must  part  with  our  Indian  prisoners,  of  whom 
1  have  become  quite  fond,  though  glad  to  be  rid  of  the 
responsibility  of  holding  them.  Lieutenant  Riddick 
turned  them  over  to  the  commanding  officer,  and  they 
were  confined  in  the  guard  house.  Thirty-nine  days  they 
have  been  with  us,  and  while  we  have  been  obliged  to 
be  a  little  severe  in  keeping  them  safely  ironed,  they 
have  been  Avell  fed  and  safely  cared  for. 

9th.  We  started  to  return  west  and  camped  seven- 
teen miles  above  the  fort  on  Platte.  Dr.  Covey  accom- 
panied us.  The  Doctor  and  I  went  after  buffalo  about 
sunset  and  killed  one  each.  Dr.  Summers,  post  surgeon, 
and  John  Heath,  post  sutler,  arrived  from  the  fort  on  a 
buffalo  hunt  and  spent  the  night  with  us, 

13th.  Camped  one  mile  below  O'Fallon's  Bluffs  on 
head  of  Freemont's  Slough.  At  6 :00  this  evening  an  ex- 
pressman arrived  from  Kearney  with  orders  from  Col- 
onel Sumner  for  the  train  to  remain  at  Kearney  until 
the  arrival  of  Major  Sedgwick's  four  troops  of  cavalry 
and  two  companies  of  infantry.  The  order  was  sent 
under  the  belief  that  the  train  was  then  at  Kearney. 

14th.     On  the  back  track  en  route  to  Kearney. 

16th.  Short  distance  from  camp  killed  a  buffalo 
while  crossing  road  ahead  of  train,  and  before  going  into 
camp  Messrs.  Stanley  and  Eskridge  killed  another;  saved 
abundance  of  fine  meat.  Met  Ceorge  Cater,  an  express- 
man, en  route  to  Laramie.  Lieutenant  Riddick  received 
letters  stating  that  all  of  the  cavalry  and  infantry  that 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON-  291 

were  ordered  from  the  Cheyenne  expedition  to  Utah  are 
now  ordered  to  Leavenworth.     Camped  on  Platte. 

17th.  Camped  on  Platte.  Killed  nine  prairie  chick- 
ens with  pistols  in  camp  before  train  came  np.  Lieuten- 
ant Marmaduke,  with  detachment  of  recruits  for  Seventh 
Infantry,  en  route  to  Laramie,  arrived  and  camped 
with  us. 

18th.  Lying  by.  Rained  all  forenoon.  In  the  after- 
noon Marmaduke  and  I  "still  hunted"  (hunted  on  foot) 
buffalo,  but  did  not  kill  any.  His  transportation  con- 
sisted of  two  dilapidated  wagons,  each  drawn  by  six 
broken-down  pack-mules  that  Captain  Foote  had  brought 
into  Kearney  with  the  wounded  men  from  the  Cheyenne 
campaign.  We  were  going  in,  and  could  exchange  and 
give  him  fine  teams  and  wagons,  which  we  did,  and 
turned  over  to  him  another  team  and  wagon  for  which 
he  receipted;  and  wLh  it  1  turned  over  an  experienced 
man  capable  of  looking  after  all  of  the  teams;  knew 
the  camps,  and  would  take  him  to  Laramie  all  right. 
1  never  saw  a  better  pleased  man  than  Marmaduke — a 
future  major  general  in  the  Confederate  Army,  and 
later  Governor  of  his  native  State  of  Missouri.  We  in- 
vited Marmaduke  to  join  our  mess  while  camped  near 
us,  which  he  did.  He  had  some  potatoes,  something 
we  had  not  seen  in  four  months.  I  would  only  accept 
enough  for  one  dinner,  which,  with  my  prairie  chickens, 
made  a  fine  feast. 

19th.  Lieutenant  Marmaduke  and  party  went  on 
west  and  we  east.  Met  "Sim"  Bouth  and  Sarcoxie,  a 
Delaware   guide,   with   letters,   by   which   we   learn   that 


292 


FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


Major  Sedgwick's  command  of  four  troops  of  cavalry 
and  two  companies  of  infantry  are  waiting  for  us 
thirty-two  miles  below  Kearney.  Arrived  and  camped 
at  Kearney.  Found  Lieutenants  Wheaton  and  Bayard 
at  the  fort  with  orders  for  Lieutenant  Kiddick  to  turn 


Major  General    Fitzjohn    Portek. 

over  the  train  and  all  other  property  to  Lieutenant 
Wlieaton.  We  left  here  all  commissary  stores  not  nec- 
essary for  troops  going  in  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 

20th.     Finished  turning  over  property  and  started 


Major-General  Philip  St.  George  Cooke. 


294  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

down  the  river  at  noon.  Met  Beauvais'  and  Bisonet's 
traders'  trains  for  "their  trading  posts  near  Fort 
Laramie. 

21st.  Camped  with  Major  Sedgwick's  command 
on  Little  Blue. 

2 2d.  Camped  on  Little  Blue.  Turned  over  four 
trams  to  Captain  Ketehum's  command.  Feed  half  ra- 
tions of  corn  to  horses  and  mules. 

23d.  When  leaving  camp  this  morning  met  Col- 
onel Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  of  the  Second  Cavalry, 
in  command  of  the  Utah  Expedition,  and  his  adjutant- 
general,  Major  Fitzjohn  Porter,  with  a  train  of  twen- 
ty -  four  mule  ambulances,  several  officers  and  an  es- 
cort of  the  Second  Dragoons,  en  route  to  Utah.  1 
received  orders  to  select  twenty-five  of  my  best  mule 
teams  to  be  left  with  an  escort  of  cavalry  to  await  the 
arrival  of  Colonel  Cooke,*  en  route  to  Utah.  Colonel 
Johnston  and  Major  Porter  were  waiting  by  the  side 
of  the  road,  and  saw  the  teams  go  by.  I  was  sent  for, 
and  Colonel  Johnston  said:.  "I  am  told  that  this  is  the 
finest  train   on  the  plains,"     To   which   I   replied   that 

*Philip  St.  George  Cooke  was  born  in  Virginia,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Military  Academy  in  1827.  Brevet 
second  lieutenant  infantry,  1st  July,  1827;  second  lieuten- 
ant Sixth  Infaniry,  1st  July,  1827;  first  lieutenant  First 
Dragoons,  4th  March,  1833;  captain,  31st  of  May,  1835; 
major  Second  Dragoons,  16th  February,  1847;  lieuten- 
ant colonel,  15th  July,  1883;  colonel,  14th  June,  1858;  Sec- 
ond Cavalry,  3d  August,  1861;  brigadier  general  Volun- 
teers, 12th  to  28th  November,  1861;  brigadier  general.  U. 
S.  A.,  12th  November,  1861;  retired  29th  October,  1873: 
brevet  lieutenant  colonel,  20th  February,  1847,  for  meritor- 
ious conduct  in  California,  arid  major  general  13th  ol 
March,  1865,  for  gallant  and  meritorious  service  during  the 
war.     Died  20th  March,  1895. 


FIVE.  TEARS  A  DRAGOdN.  095 

we  had  exchanged  a  few  good  teams  for  broken-down 
ones  from  the  Cheyenne  campaign;  otherwise,  the  teams 
and  equipments  were  complete.  "Well,"  said  he,  "we 
want  the  best;  we  will  need  them,"  and  he  got  them. 
Traveled  eignteen  miles  and  camped  on  Little  Blue. 
Unloaded  twenty-five  wagons,  fitted  up  the  best  teams 
and  equipments  throughout,  got  volunteers  to  drive 
them,  drew  rations  for  the  men,  and  have  everything 
ready  to  turn  over  in  the  morning. 

24th.  Turned  over  the  twenty-five  wagons  for 
Colonel  Cooke's  command  to  Lieutenant  Perkins,  and 
two  wagons  for  himself  and  escort — a  small  detach- 
ment of  cavalry.  Mr.  Patrick  took  charge  of  train  as 
wagonmaster;  he  was  an  excellent  man  and  very  com- 
petent. "Billy"  Daniels  went  as  assistant  wagonmaster 
— a  well  earned  promotion.  Camped  on  Little  Blue. 
An  expressman  left  this  morning  and  another  this  even- 
ing en  route  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 

26th.  Camped  on  Snake  Eoot  Creek.  Express  ar- 
rived this  evening  from  Fort  Leavenworth.  Colonel 
Cooke's  command  of  six  troops  of  Second  Dragoons 
said  to  be  at  Big  Blue.  The  troops  of  Major  Sedgwick's 
command  to  be  stationed  at  various  points  in  Kansas 
for  the  present. 

27th.  Met  Colonel  Cooke's  command  three  miles 
west  of  Big  Blue.  Lieutenant  Buford,  acting  quarter- 
master for  the  command,  had  an  order  to  change  all 
the  mules  he  wanted  to,  taking  our  best  and  leaving 
his  worst,  which  he  did,  leaving  us  nothing  but  a  bad 
lot  of  mules  to  go  in  with.     The  last  of  my  beautiful 


296  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

train  was  gone.  We  were  going  where  forage  was  plen- 
tiful; they  were  approaching  winter,  where  forage  of 
all  kinds  would  be  scarce.  Buford  trusted  to  me,  and 
I  gave  him  the  best.  Crossed  Big  Blue  and  camped 
on  Spring  Creek.  I  heard  that  there  were  eighty  de- 
sertions from  dragoons  since  leaving  Fort  Leavenworth. 
Captain  Ketchum  with  his  two  companies  of  infantry, 
remains  here  (Marysville)  until  after  election  —  first 
Monday  in  October,  or  until  further  orders. 

28th.  Arrived  and  camped  at  Ash  Point,  twenty- 
five  miles. 

29th.  Camped  on  Nemaha,  Seneca  is  the  town  (now 
county  seat  of  Nemaha  . -County,  Kansas).  Captain  Stur- 
gis  and  Lieutenant  Stockton  arrived  from  Fort  Leav- 
enworth. G  Troop  First  Cavalry  to  remain  here  until 
after  election,  B  Troop  to  go  to  Palermo,  A  Troop  to 
Claytonville,  E  Troop  to  Atchison.  I  go  with  twenty- 
nine  teams  and  all  the  extra  animals  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth. Twenty-nine  years  old  to-day,  and  gray  enough 
to  be  fifty. 

30th.  Off  for  Fort  Leavenworth  at  the  same  time 
that  the  command  starts  down  the  Atchison  road.  Four 
days  later,  with  Lieutenants  Wheaton  and  Riddick,  I 
arrived  at  Fort  Leavenworth  and  turned  over  the  rem- 
nant of  property  in  my  charge;  the  Cheyenne  campaign 
had  ended,  but  the  troops  were  still  in  the  field,  keep- 
ing peace  at  the  polls,  a  more  irksome  business  for  sol- 
diers than  fighting  Indians. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  Colonel  Sumner  sent  for 
me  and  inquired  particularly  about  what  I  saw  of  the 


i'IVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  297 

campaign;  said  he  had  heard  a  good  account  of  my  part 
in  it  from  various  sources,  and  especially  from  Mr. 
Riddick;  said  that  my  train  had  the  reputation  of  being 
the  finest  ever  seen  on  the  plains,  and  the  best  man- 
aged; in  short,  he  was  very  profuse  in  his  praises.  Ho 
was  especially  interested  in  knowing  my  idea  of  the 
flight  of  the  Chevennes  north,  after  his  battle  with 
them;  I  told  him  how  things  looked  where  I  burned 
the  camp,  and  all  information  gained  from  the  Indian 
prisoners  and  by  scouting  in  the  neighborhood,  but  I 
did  not  venture  an  opinion,  nor  did  he  ask  me  to.  He 
had  probably  made  history  that  would  redound  to  his 
credit,  and  whether  he  followed  the  right  or  the  wrong- 
trail  after  the  battle,  he  did  the  best  that  an  earnest 
persevering  commander  could  do,  with  the  light  before 
him;  and  I  think  that  the  general  verdict  of  his  com- 
mand was  that  he  did  well,  and  that  is  the  highest 
court  by  which  a  man  can  be  tried. 

After  Colonel  Sumner's  command  was  "sifted" 
where  he  left  us  on  the  South  Platte,  he  went  into  the 
field  with  as  fine  a  set  of  officers  and  men  as  I  ever 
saw.  The  civilians  with  his  pack  train — "Big  Nick" 
Beery  at  the  head — were  the  best  we  had.  (See  Mr. 
Peck's  letter  in  Historical  Society's  Collections,  hereto- 
fore referred  to.) 

The  civilians  who  were  with  me  four  and  a  half 
months  were  from  all  narts  of  the  continent  and  some 
from  Europe.  Probably  one-third  of  them  born  in  the 
United  States,  representing  a  dozen  States  and  Ter- 
ritories, most  of  them  from  Missouri  and  Kansas.     Then 


298  FWfi  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

there  was  the  hardy,  cheerful,  untiring  "Canuck"  (Can- 
adian)— more  than  twenty  of  them — always  skillful  and 
willing,  wet  or  dry,  feasting  or  fasting;  and  the  Mexican, 
patient  and  uncomplaining  always — he  will  squat  over 
a  fire  no  larger  than  his  hand  with  his  scrape  about 
him,  smoke  his  cigarette  or  munch  his  "hard  tack" 
cheerfully.  A  few  Germans,  careful  of  their  teams, 
always  ready  and  willing — and  the  never  failing  Irish- 
man with  his  unbounded  energy  and  snap.  In  short, 
as  I  look  back  in  memory  to  the  motley  crowd  I  see 
more  than  an  average  set  of  men. 

I  am  told  that  Mr.  Beery  still  lives  in  Montana.  Ex- 
cept him  I  know  but  two  living — Mr.  K.  B.  Cecil,  a 
wealthy  farmer  of  Platte  County,  Mo.,  and  "Sim"  Kouth 
of  Easton,  in  Leavenworth  County,  Kansas — always  a 
good  citizen  and  prosperous.  Of  all  the  officers  of  that 
expedition,  I  do  not  think  there  is  one  living.  Of  the 
enlisted  men  I  know  of  but  one,  Mr.  E.  M.  Peck  of 
Whittier,  California.     Probably  there  may  be  others. 


PART   VIII. 

IN  October  or  November  of  each  veer,  all  mules  not 
needed  for  use  during  winter  were  sent  to  Platte 
County,  Missouri,  to  be  fed,  where  corn  and  hay 
were    plentiful    and    cheap,    always    returning    to    Fort 
Leavenworth  fat  tne  following  spring. 

There  were  four  herds  in  Platte  County  for  which 
I  purchased  forage  and  over  which,  with  a  foreman  in 
charge  of  each,  I  had  general  supervision. 

One  incident  of  this  winter  I  will  relate:  Earlv 
one  cold  morning  in  Januarv,  1853,  I  rode  from  the 
corrals  where  I  had  a  herd  of  mules  on  the  farm  of 
Bradley  Cox,  to  his  residence  half  a  mile  away,  and 
found  him  talking  to  two  young  cavalrymen,  who  wanted 
some  breakfast.  Their  horses  were  branded  on  the  left 
shoulder  with  the  letter  G  and  Figure  1,  which  meant 
that  they  belonged  to  Troop  '  G,"  1st  Cavalry.  The 
men  had  hitched  their  horses  by  throwing  their  bridle 
reins  over  a  fence  stake,  and  without  dismounting  I 
reached  over,  unhitched  both  horses  and  started  to- 
wards my  herd  house,  where  the  men  who  attended  to 
the  herd  lived.  At  the  same  time  telling  the  men  to 
follow  me  and  I  would  give  them  breakfast.  These  men 
knew  me  as  Master-of-Transportation  for  the  Cheyenne 
Expedition  and  ran  after  me  begging  for  their  horses, 

299 


300  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

I  replied  that  I  would  talk  to  them  after  they  had 
breakfast,  but  they  could  not  have  the  horses.  At  the 
mule  corrals  I  called  a  man,  had  the  horses  turned  loose 
with  the  mules,  saddles,  bridles,  blankets  and  pistols 
taken  to  the  house.  Of  course  I  knew  these  young  fel- 
lows were  deserters,  knew  their  troop  was  stationed  at 
Fort  Riley,  and  that  it  was  commanded  by  my  friend, 
Lieutenant  J.  E.  B.  Stuart.  I  asked  the  cook  to  give 
them  breakfast.  They  admitted  that  they  had  deserted 
from  Fort  Riley  and  tried  to  excuse  the  act  in  various 
ways,  whereas  they  had,  in  a  spirit  of  discontent,  left  a 
good  troop,  as  good  a  first  sergeant  as  I  ever  saw  (my 
friend  Byrnes)  arfd  a  troop  commander  that  any  man 
should  be  proud  to  serve  under,  and  here  they  were, 
deserters!  And  liable  to  all  the  penalties  attached  to 
that  crime.  I  talked  to  them  until  they  shed  tears  of 
repentance  —  they  were  not  ordinary  toughs,  claimed 
that  thev  never  drank  liquor,  which  I  afterwards  found 
was  true.  They  promised  that  if  I  would  give  them 
their  horses,  they  would  go  to  Fort  Leavenworth  and 
give  themselves  up  to  the  commanding  officer.  This  I 
refused  to  do  and  told  them  that  the  temptation  might 
he  coo  great  and  I  would  not  trust  them,  that  I  thought 
it  my  duty  to  save  this  Government  property,  that  I 
did  not  want  the  reward  of  $30  each  which  I  would  be 
entitled  to  for  delivering  them  at  the  Fort,  and  if  they 
would  promise  me  to  deliver  a  letter  to  General  Harney 
I  would  write  one  in  which  I  would  express  belief  that 
they  were  thoroughly  repentant,  so  much  so  that  I  felt 
justified  in  trusting  them  to  report  to  him  instead  qf 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  301 

taking  them  myself  as  prisoners.  They  promised  to  do 
this  and  I  wrote  the  facts  to  the  General  and  stated 
that  I  was  trusting  them  on  my  belief  that  they  would 
keep  their  promise  to  me  and  report  to  him,  and  that 
I  believed  they  were  so  thoroughly  humiliated  that  if 
given  a  chance  they  would  yet  make  good  soldiers.  I 
felt  that  I  was  venturing  too  far  in  expressing  an  opin- 
ion to  the  General — I  was  not  called  upon  to  do  so,  but 
was  so  fully  convinced  that  these  youths  would  make 
no  more  mistakes  that  I  made  my  letter  as  impressive 
as  possible.  They  had  a  few  dollars  in  money  between 
them;  I  gave  them  a  lunch  and  they  left  me  at  10  a,  m. 
to  walk  the  twenty-one  miles  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  which 
they  did  that  clay.  Three  days  later  I  went  to  the  Fort 
and  took  the  horses  and  equipment  along  with  me. 
When  I  called  at  the  Quartermaster's  office  I  was  told 
that  General  Harney  wanted  to  see  me.  I  reported  at 
his  quarters  and  shown  into  his  sitting  room,  where  he 
asked  me  many  questions,  expressed  himself  well  pleased 
and  went  so  far  as  to  say  I  made  no  mistake  in  trust- 
ing these  men,  I  had  certainly  done  them  a  great  favor, 
and  he  liked  my  wav  of  taking  charge  of  the  Govern- 
ment property.  Of  course  the  men  were  in  the  guard 
house,  but  in  abouit  a  month  a  party  was  going  to  Fort 
Riley  and  they  and  their  horses  and  equipments  were 
returned  together  and  they  were  soon  restored  to  dutv 
without  trial.  Lieutenant  Stuart  wrote  me  about  them, 
in  which  he  thanked  me  for  my  part,  etc.,  and  I  ex- 
plained the  affair  to  him. 

In  August  of  the  same  ye#r,  when  en  route  to  "Utah, 


3()2  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

I  called  at  Major  Sedgwick's  camp,  twenty-two  miles 
west  of  Fort  Kearney  to  pay  my  respects.  Sergeant 
Byrnes  told  me  that  these  two  men  were  bound  to  see 
me  but  were  afraid  to  trust  themselves  in  the  presence 
of  their  comrades,  for  fear  they  might  show  some  feel- 
ing, and  thay  had  walked  a  mile*  up  the  road  to  wait 
until  I  cane  along.  One  of  them  was  a  Corporal,  and 
there  were  no  better  men  in  the  troop.  They  wanted 
to  show  how  grateful  they  were  for  the  manner  in  which 
I  treated  them.  I  never  saw  them  again,  but  always 
fe't  glad  that  they  fell  into  my  hands. 

The  commands  that  started  for  Salt  Lake  in  1857, 
and  wintered  on  Black's  and  Ham's  Forks  of  Green 
River  lost  nearly  all  of  their  stock,  horses  and  mules, 
starved  and  frozen  to  death,  and  Captain  Marcy  was 
sent  to  New  Mexico  to  procure  mules  and  horses  before 
any  of  the  commands  could  move  out  of  their  temporary 
winter  quarters. 

The  conditions  in  Colonel  Johnston's  army  were 
such  that  the  Government  saw  the  necessity  of  moving 
other  commands  to  the  front  as  promptly  as  possible. 
Great  numbers  of  horses  and  mules  were  purchased  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  many  of  the  latter  unbroken,  and 
the  task  of  organizing  and  breaking  in  trains  fit  to 
transport  supplies  for  troops  in  the  field  was  no  small 
matter. 

At  Two  Mile  Creek,  below  the  fort,  were  located 
extensive  corrals  and  a  "catching-out"  crew  under  ex- 
perienced "mule  tamers,"  and  here  all  mules  were  first 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


303 


hitched  to  wagons  and  sent  to  camp  some  place  within 
a  few  miles  of  the  post. 

Mr.  Levi  Wilson,  general  superintendent  of  trans- 
portation at  Fort  Leavenworth,  was  the  most  efficient 
man  I  ever  saw  in 
the  Govern  ment 
transportation  line, 
but  his  services 
were  required  in- 
specting horses  and 
mules  from  the  mid- 
dle of  March  to  the 
last  of  May,  1858. 

I  was  notified  to 
wind  up  the  feeding- 
business,  and  bring- 
over  mules  from 
Platte  the  first  of 
April,  which  I  did. 
Three  trains  had 
been  organized  and 
camped  in  Salt  Creek 
Valley.  The  news 
that  many  men  would 
be  needed  brought 
them  from  every  di- 


Levi   Wilson, 
General  Sup't  of  Transportation. 


rection;  some,  enterprising  young  men  from  the  coun- 
try, ambitious  to  better  their  condition  or  work  their 
way  to  the  Pacific  Coast;  but  there  seemed  an  over- 
supply   of   the    offscouring   of    the    slums — men   leaving 


20- 


304  XIVE  TEARS  A  DRAQOOX. 

their  country  for  their  country's  good.  The  variety  and 
makeup  of  these  fellows,  many  of  them  fleeing  from 
justice,  the  arms  they  carried  and  their  outfits  generally, 
were  curious  enough. 

I  was  instructed  to  take  charge  of  the  trains.  Many 
complaints  had  come  to  Mr.  Wilson  against  a  train  in 
the  Valley,  and  he  requested  me  to  see  to  it  and  do 
whatever  seemed  best.  I  rode  out  and  found  a  drunken 
mob — mules  scattered,  harness  in  the  mud,  etc.  The 
wagonmaster  was  asleeo.  A  mouthy  fellow  called  him 
"Captain,"  and  he  finally  crawled  out.  In  a  few  min- 
utes I  saw  the  utter  uselessness  of  wasting  time.  He 
had  come  with  a  railroad  gang  from  north  Missouri, 
the  most  blear-eyed,  G-od-forsaken  looking  set  I  ever 
saw.  I  told  him  that  he  and  his  men  were  wanted  at 
the  quartermasters  office;  that  they  should  take  all 
their  belongings  with  them,  because  they  would  not  re- 
turn to  this  train.  Inquiries  were  numerous,  but  I 
quietly  cut  them  off,  and  in  half  an  hour  they  were 
strrng  out,  poor  wretches,  with  the  "Captain"  in  the 
leccl.  I  promised  to  meet  them  at  the  quartermaster's 
office,  and  then  rode  down  the  creek  a  mile  to  another 
trrin,  and  asked-  the  wagonmaster  to  give  me  his  assist- 
ant, a  fine  young  fellow  (Green  Dorsey),  and  loan  me 
half  of  his  men.  With  them  I  returned  to  the  drunken 
train,  told  Dorsey  to  take  charge  as  wagonmaster,  hire 
any  men  that  came  who  suited  him,  and  I  would  send 
him  more,  but  not  to  hire  one  of  the  old  gang,  and  gal- 
loped to  the.  post  in 'time  to  see  them  paid  off.  It  wa< 
remarked   at  the-  office   that,  such    an    outfit   had   never 


FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  3O5 

before  been  seen  there.  I  called  the  "Captain"  and 
his- men  aside  and  advised  them  to  seek  employment 
elsewhere;  that  they  had  mistaken  their  calling,  and 
were  unfit  for  the  plains,  and  assured  them  that  not  one 
would  ever  find  employment  here.  The  rain  and  scarcity 
of  whiskey  had  sobered  them  some,  and  they  started  for 
the  Eialto  Ferry  and  Weston. 

This  incident  spread  among  the  trains  and  camps 
on  the  reservation,  and  I  told  every  wagonmaster  not 
to  hire  bad  men — we  did  not  want  to  be  bothered  with 
them;  and  it  was  soon  understood  that  thieves,  thugs 
and  worthless  characters  generally  might  as  well  move 
on.  Many  of  these  found  employment  in  ox  trains  be- 
longing to  Government  contractors,  and  were  the  cause 
of  strikes,  mutinies  and  loss  .to  their  employers.  Of 
course,  there  was  no  civil  law  applicable  to  the  man- 
agement of  men  on  the  plains.  In  a  military  command 
the  officer  in  charge  was  all-powerful,  as  he  must  be 
everywhere  within  his  jurisdiction.  Necessity  knows  no 
law,  and  while  all  well  disposed  men  would  perform 
their  duties  without  friction,  the  lawless  element,  sure 
to  crop  out  from  time  to  time'  stood  so  much  in  awe 
of  the  military  power  that  they  did  little  harm  to  their 
fellows  or  th^  Government.  Where  there  was  no  military 
command  the  same  restraint  did  not  exist,  and  discon- 
tented spirits,  schemers  and  rebellion  breeders  often 
caused  trouble.  The  Government  trains  had  more  dis- 
cipline than  the  contractor's  trains  transporting  Gov- 
ernment supplies.  The  Government  train  had  a  sprink- 
ling of  discharged  soldiers,  and  the  man  in  charge  had 


300 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


himself  "been  amenable  to  discipline  and  could  not  hope 
to  hold  a  responsible  position  without  maintaining  it. 
He  must  be  a  law  unto  himself  or  fail.  The  great  eon- 
traeting  firms  that  transported  Government  supplies  sent 
numerous  ox  trains  to  various  military  posts,  and  whik 

they  hud  a  good 
business  system, 
and  often  accom- 
p  1  i  s  h  e  d  work 
much  better  than 
the  Government 
would  have  done, 
yet  the  immen- 
sity of  the  busi- 
ness left  room 
for  many  leaks 
and  much  defect- 
ive management. 
I  recall  many  in- 
stances of  mutiny 
—  the  teamsters 
in  rebellion 
against  ,  their 
wagonmasters,  in 
some  -cases   possi- 


Bvt.  Maj.-Gen.  Stewart  Van  Vliet. 


bly  with  a  grievance,  and  in  others  through  home- 
sickness or  the  spirit  of  rebellion  that  recognizes  no 
authority,  always  ready  to  make  trouble,  delighting  in 
the  opportunity  to  become  leaders  for  more  pay,  or  to 
show  their  power  when  their  services  were  most  needed. 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  307 

Interesting  details  would  be  tedious  here,  and  I 
pass  them  by.  In  short,  by  the  first  of  June  more  than 
six  hundred  six-mule  teams,  one-half  of  the  mules 
never  before  handled,  were  organized  into  trains  of 
about  twenty-six  wagons  each,  and  about  five  hundred 
and  fifty  of  them  sent  out  with  columns  of  troops  en 
route  to  Utah.  The  whole  months  of  April  and  May 
were  exceedingly  wet,  no  bridges  in  the  country,  and  to 
move  the  first  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  west  from 
Fort  Leavenworth  was  something  terrible.  Captain  Van 
Vliet,  quartermaster,  had  a  bridge  built  across  Salt 
Creek  three  miles  out.  The  stone  work  of  that  bridge 
still  stands. 

The  first  column  to  move  out  was  Colonel  An- 
drews, with  Sixth  Infantry,  Lieutenant  Sawtelle,  E.  Q. 
M.,  with  eighty-two  six-mule  teams.  They  were  three 
days  going  the  first  ten  miles. 

Between  Government  and  contractors'  trains,  the 
road  had  been  made  almost  one  continuous  mudhole. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  contractors'  teams  were  strug- 
gling in  the   mud   within   twenty  miles. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  Colonel  Morrison's  column 
with  Fourth  Artillery  moved  out,  Captain  Page,  quar- 
termaster, with  104  teams,  99  horses  and  a  few  ex- 
tra mules. 

On  the  28th  of  Mav,  Colonel  Monroe's  column  with 
Third  Artillery,  Captain  Cable,  A.  Q.  M.,  moved  out 
with  ninety-seven  horses,  ninety-two  teams  and  a  few 
extra  mules. 

On  May  30th,  Colonel  Sumner,  First  Cavalry,  with 
Lieutenant    Garland,    Seventh    Infantry,    A.    A.    Q.    M., 


308  PI?®  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

moved  out  with   eighty-eight  six-mule  teams  and  fifty- 
sis  extra  horses. 

June  5th,  Colonel  May,  commanding  fifth  column, 
with  Lieutenant  Mclntyre,  K.  Q.  M.,  moved  out  with 
fifty-eight  teams,  seventeen  extra  mules  and  sixty  horses. 

June  12th,  Major  Emory's  column,  with  Captain 
P.  T.  Turnley,  A.  Q.  M.,  moved  out  with  sixty-nine 
teams  and  a  few  extra  mules. 

June  12th,  General  Harney  and  staff  moved  out, 
Captain  Hancock,  quartermaster,  with  headquarters  oi' 
the  Utah  expedition — forty-two  six-mule  teams,  eight 
four-mule  ambulances,  twenty-three  extra  mules  and 
fourteen  extra  horses. 

The  seven  columns  used  twenty  -  six  wagonmasters, 
twenty  assistants,  641  teamsters,  extras  and  expressmen. 
In  addition  to  the  above,  each  column  was  supplied 
with  four  blacksmiths,  one  wheelwright  and  a  traveling 
forge  hauled  by  eight  mules. 

The  above  transportation  was  to  go  to  the  end  oi' 
the  journey,  and  in  addition  a  train  loaded  with  forage 
and  provisions  for  each  column  was  sent  in  advance 
to  Marysville,  crossing  the  Big  Blue,  to  replenish  the 
stores  consumed  and  then  return  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 

In  sending  out  trains  with  the  different  columns, 
great  pains  was  taken  to  see  that  men,  mules  and 
wagons  were  as  near  the  best  as  it  was  possible  to  get. 
and  when  the  last  train  was  off  to  Utah,  the  remnants 
of  trains  scattered  about  within  ten  miles  of  the  Forr 
were  sifted  and  reduced  to  perfect  trains  ready  for 
service    in    any    direction,    surplus    muleg    and    wagon* 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


309 


turned  in  and  inefficient  wagonmasters  and  men  dis- 
cliarged — a  general  cleaning  up. 

July  found  Fort  Leavenworth  as  quiet  as  if  prepa- 
ration for  the  Utah  campaign  had  never  been.  Half 
of  the  month  had  slipped  away,  when  I  was  summoned 
to  the  quarmaster's  office  and  informed  by  Chief  Clerk 
Card  (now  Colonel  B.  C.  Card,  retired)  that  the 
clothing  and  some 
other  winter  sup- 
plies for  the  Utah 
army  had  not  been 
shipped  and  now 
it  was  too  late  to 
ship  by  contract- 
or's trains  and 
must  be  sent  by 
mule  teams;  that 
the  goods  in  bales 
and  boxes  were 
now  en  route 
from  the  East, 
and  it  would  take 
nearly  one  hun- 
d  r  e  d  si x-m u  1  e 
'teams  to  haul 
t  hem.  These 
trains      maist      be  Major-General  Winfield  S.  Hancock. 

made  ready  and  loaded  as  soon  as  the  goods  arrived  by 
boat,  and  I  would  be  expected  to  go  in  charge  of  them. 
I  had  bo  ambition  to  go,  but  the  man  who  has  good  pay- 


310  F/FjE?  years  a  dragoon. 

ing  employment  cannot  afford  to  mix  much  sentiment 
with  it. 

If  I  could  have  retired  with  money  enough  to  settle 
down  for  life,  I  would  have  done  so;  hut  now  I  banished 
everything  hut  the  idea  of  successful  delivery  of  those 
gocds  in  Utah.  There  was  one  consolation,  it  would  be 
my  train,  I  was  assured,  independent  of  interference 
from  any  source.  If  I  beat  the  winter  in  reaching  the 
troops,  1400  miles  away,  it  would  be  to  my  credit;  and 
commanding  officers  and  quartermasters  along  the  route 
would  be  instructed  to  lend  me  any  assistance  possible. 

When  the  goods  arrived,  it  was  found  that  three 
trains  of  twenty-six  wagons  each  would  take  them — 342 
boxes  and  910  bales. 

John  Allen's  train  with  William  Daniels,  assistant 
wagonmaster  (who  helped  me  capture  the  Cheyenne  the 
year  before),  and  thirty-one  teamsters  and  extra  hands 
loaded  July  31st,  and  with  traveling  forge,  wheelright 
and  blacksmith,  moved  out  with  instructions  to  go  as  far 
as  last  camp  on  Little  Blue,  forty  miles  east  of  Fort 
Kearney  and  await  my  arrival. 

John  McGilvra's  train  with  Hamilton  assistant  wag- 
onmaster and  thirty-one  teamsters,  loaded  on  the  1st  of 
August  and  moved  out,  with  instructions  to  join  Allen. 

John  Wilson's  train  with  Peter  B.  Jackson  (son  of 
the  governor  of  Missouri,  a  young  man  in  search  of  ad- 
venture, which  he  found)  assistant  wagonmaster  and 
thirty-one  teamsters,  loaded  on  the  2d  of  August,  and 
with  two  young  Mexicans  with  cavayard  of  fifteen  extra 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  31 1 

mules,  moved  out  fifteen  miles  and  camped  at  Mount 
Pleasant,  where  I  overtook  it  at  midnight. 

The  month  of  July  had  been  very  dry,  and  the  roads, 
with,  the  exception  of  numerous  mudholes,  pretty  well 
dried. 

Before  leaving  Fort  Leavenworth  I  was  instructed 
to  look  at  all  contractor's  trains  overtaken  on  the  road, 
note  the  number  of  wagons,  number  of  train,  what  load- 
ed with,  appearance  of  train,  condition  of  cattle,  how 
many  lost  or  died,  and  name  of  wagonmaster,  and  inform 
the  quartermaster  at  Fort  Leavenworth  every  opportun- 
ity I  had  of  mailing  a  letter.  To  save  repeating,  I  over- 
took ox  trains  almost  daily  from  start  to  finish,  most  of 
them  contractors'  trains,  most  of  them  well  managed, 
and  cattle  in  as  fine  condition  as  shortage  of  grass  would 
permit;  others  in  every  stage  of  neglect.  Up  to  Fort 
Kearney  losses  by  death  had  been  few,  but  the  farther 
west,  the  greater  the  losses. 

Traveled  with  Wilson's  train  until  5  th. 

August  6th.  With  my  mess  wagon  left  Wilson. 
Traveled  forty-five  miles,  making  three  drives,  and  camp- 
ed five  miles  east  of  Marysville  with  Colonel  J.  S.  John- 
*  tin's  train,  en  route  to  Leavenworth. 

7th.  Found  McGilvra's  train  at  Marysville.  Allen 
crossed  here  the  5th. 

$th.  Wilson,  arrived.  Took  on  corn  and  camped 
west  of  Big  Blue.  All  trains  took  forage  here.  Left 
two  men,  E.  L.  Quintin  and  Philip  Sawyer,  at  Marysville 
sick;  a  Dr.  Miller  was  to  look  after  the.ni. 

9Hh.     Met  five  government  teams  en  route  to  Fort 


312  FIVE  YfiARS  A  DRAGOOX. 

Leavenworth  from  Kearney.  Changed  twenty-one  mules, 
taking  the  best. 

11th.  Overtook  McGilvra  and  camped  on  branch  of 
Little  Blue.     Wilson  joined  later. 

12th.  Twenty-five  hundred  Pawnees,  men,  women 
and  children,  passed  east,  running  from  the  Sioux,  with 
whom  they  had  a  battle.  Some  losses  on  both  sides; 
Sioux  got  most  of  the  Pawnee  horses. 

13th.  Twenty-two  miles,  and  found  Allen  camped 
on  Little  Blue.  The  other  trains  came  up,  and  all  ready 
to  move  together  to-morro\.. 

As  heretofore  stated,  the  "early  part  of  the  season 
was  extremely  wet,  the  whole  country  flooded,  but  July 
and  so  far  in  August  wa.^  dry  and  hot;  rank  and  rotting 
vegetation  created  malaria,  and  there  was  an  immense 
amount  of  sickness  amongst  the  men  of  all  the  trains  en 
route  to  Salt  Lake.  A  train  belonging  to  Eussell,  Ma- 
jors &  Waddel,  government  contractors,  lying  by  here 
with  half  the  men  sick,  and,  according  to  my  instructions, 
I  examined  the  train  and  found  the  wagonmaster  to  be  a 
man  whom  I  had  discharged  in  the  spring  because  he 
was  unfit  for  assistant  wagonmaster.  I  was  told  that 
several  of  the  men  died.  I  reported  by  letter  immedi- 
ately, and  advised  a  new  crew  as  quickly  as  possible,  and 
reported  the  same  to  the  agent  at  Kearney. 

Found  a  number  of  men  sick  in  Allen's  train  and  a 
number  of  fever  and  ague  cases  in  McGilvraV  My  friend 
Dr.  Samuel  Phillips,  at  Port  Leavenworth,  had:  fixed  up 
a  box  of  medicines  with  carefully  written  directions,  and 


MVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  '^g 

i  prescribed  for  the  poor  fellows  as  best  I  could/ several 
of  whom  needed  hospital  care. 

14th.  Twenty  miles,  and  camped,  on  Thirty-two 
Mile  Creek  (head  of  Big  Blue).  Eight  men  in  Allen's, 
six  in  Wilson's  and  one  in  McGilvra's  trains  sick.  All 
wagonmasters  and  assistants  driving  teams.  The  out- 
look was  discouraging. 

15th.  Twenty  -  four  miles  and  camped  at  Eight- 
Mile  Point,  below  Fort  Kearney.  After  prescribing  for 
the  sick  men  I  rode  to  the  fort,  presented  letters  to  Colo- 
nel May,  commanding  officer,  and  Captain  Cabel,  quar- 
termaster; called  on  Dr.  Summers  and  explained  the 
sickness  in  trains.  He  said  that  he  never  saw  as  much 
malaria  and  fever  and  ague  as  there  was  in  the  trains 
from  the  East.  I  spent  the  night  with  Mr.  Ben  Bishop, 
forage  master,  who  was  first  sergeant  of  "B"  Troop, 
First  Dragoons,  before  I  joined  it. 

16th.  Trains  arrived  -and  drew  rations  to  last  un- 
til 1st  of  September.  Captain  Cabel  examined  trains 
and  seemed  much  pleased.  Changed  ten  mules.  On 
leaving  Fort  Leavenworth  I  took  but  few  guns  for 
guard  purposes,  and  now  drew  fifty  more,  with  ammu- 
nition. Dr.  Summers  was  very  kind  to  sick  men,  and 
prescribed  for  eighteen  of  them.  Five  were  found  un- 
able to  travel  and  left  111  the  hospital;  I  left  their  time 
with  Capain  Cabel.  Dr.  Summers  overhauled  my  med- 
icine box,  replenished  it,  and  gave  careful  directions. 
Drew  eighty  sacks  of  corn  and  oats,  and  camped  ten 
miles  up  the  Platte.  Hired  three  men  to  drive  teams. 
Need  more,  but  thev  are  not  to  be  had. 


314  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  i 

18th.  Hereafter  the  traveling  forge  will  be  ahead, 
so  as  to  be  in  camp  first,  ready  for  work.  The  wagon 
that  hauls  the  b'acksmith  and  assistant  and  the  wheel- 
wright, and  in  which  they  sleep  much  during  the  day, 
travels  next  to  the  forge.  Off  as  usual.  Killed  a  buf- 
falo, the  last  one  seen  on  the  trip.  Twenty  miles,  and 
camped  on  Platte.  Many  men  sick.  Assistant  wagon- 
masters  all  driving  teams.  Issued  rifles  and  ammunition 
to  teamsters.  From  this  time  I  will  make  my  close 
corral,  as  on  the  Cheyenne  expedition. 

21st.  McGilvra  and  assistant  sick;  also  three  of 
his  men,  one  in  Allen's,  two  in  Wilson's,  very  sick. 

22d.  Sick  list  increasing.  Tried  to  hire  men  from 
returning  freight  train,  but  they  can  see  nothing  but 
home.  They  would  rather  be  poor  and  "dance  with  the 
gal  with  a  hole  in  her.  stocking  than  to  winter  in  Utah 
for  a  fortune.  Every  train  had  a  cheap  fidler  sawing, 
away  by  every  compfire  on  "Money  Musk,"  "Dan  Tuck- 
er," "The  Arkansaw  Traveler,"  "Old  Kentucky  Home" 
and  "The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me"— no  seductive  $30 
a  month  for  them.  These  fellows,  returning  home  with 
$100  to  their  credit,  were  the  most  independent  mil- 
lionaires that  I  ever  saw. 

And  now  the  wagons  are  giving  much  trouble.  Un- 
til the  Morrron  War,  nearly  all  the  Government  wagons 
used  at  Fort  Leavenworth  were  made  in  Philadelphia 
— "The  Wilson  Wag;n,"  so  called — and  they  were  ab- 
solutely perfect.  On  the  Cheyenne  expedition  I  did 
not  have  a  tire  set  nor  a  box  wedged.  The  wagons  in 
my  Utah  train  were  of  Pittsburg  make,  and  now  on  the 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  ;n5 

sandy  and  dry  roads  showed  that  they  were  hastily  put 
together  with  timber  not  properly  seasoned.  Boxes  and 
tires  came  loose,  and  some  must  be  wedged  every  even- 
ing after  coming  into  camp.  From  now  on  to  Camp 
Floyd  the  road  was  strewn  with  broken  wagons  and 
dead  cattle,  and  the  labor  and  wear  and  tear  to  keep 
my  wagons  together  was  something  terrible.  During 
each  day*  pieces  of  pine  from  broken  wagons  were 
saved  for  use  in  wedging  boxes  and  tires,  and  midnight 
found  me  and  some  others  still  at  work.  For  awhile  we 
rolled  some  wheels  into  the  water  and  let  them  lay  all 
night  to  tighten  them  up,  but  on  the  hard  road  in  the 
hot  sun  they  soon  dried  out. 

One  day  I  found  a  Mormon  train  setting  tires.  The 
old  man  in  charge  had  a  crippled  ox  killed,  skinned, 
and  the  hide  cut  into  suitable  strips  and  stretched 
around  the  felloes  and  tacked  on  with  wooden  pins. 
The  tire  was  heated  enough  to  expand  it,  but  not  enough 
to  burn,  and  then  put  on  over  the  raw  hide.  The  tire 
cooled  and  shrank  on  tightly;  the  hide  dried  and  made 
the  fit  still  tighter.  I  stayed  long  enough  to  see  that 
it  was  a  success,  and  proceeded  to  adopt  the  plan.  Ev- 
ery day  the  Mexicans  with  the  cavayard  drove  along 
any  abandoned  cattle  able  to  travel,  and  sometimes 
killed  one  for  the  brains  and  liver,  and  sometimes 
made  soup  of  some  of  the  meat.  From  time  to  time  the 
hide  was  used  as  above  described,  and  while  not  en- 
tirely successful  in  all  cases,  it  saved  much  wedging. 
The  boxes  in  the  wheels  became  loose  and  must  be 
wedged,   and   gunnysacks   and   pine   wedges   were   used. 


3  if)  */*#    VKAHfS  A   DRAGOON. 

Men  -in  distress  learn  to  do  many  things,  and  amongst 
one  hundred  men  new  ideas  axe  evolved  by  some  of 
them,  often  of  great  value. 

From  my  memorandum  book  1  quote  as  follows: 

August  21st.  Both  wagonmasters  in  McGilvra's 
train  sick,  also  three  teamsters;  one  man  in  Allen's 
train  very  sick,  also  two  in  Wilson's. 

22d.  Passed  O'Fallon's  Bluff  mail  station  and  camp- 
ed, twelve  miles  above  on  South  Platte.  Sick  list  rather 
increasing.  In  several  cases  one  man  walked  and  looked 
after  two  teams,  while  his  comrade  rested  in  the  wagon. 
Surprising  how  little  complaint  there  is,  and  how  cheer- 
fully all  try  to  help. 

23d.  Men  continue  sick;  as  one  gets  better,  an- 
other takes  his  place. 

24th.  Met  Colonel  Bee  at  crossing  of  Soutn  Platte 
with  volunteer  battalion  returning  from  Utah.  One  of 
Colonel  Bee's  teamsters  transferred  to  Allen's  train  iu 
exchange  for  a  sick  man.  Colonel  Bee's  command  has 
no  doctor.  My  train  crossed  Platte  without  accident, 
camped  and  greased  every  wagon  ready  to  start  in  the 
morning.  In  crossing  a  wiae  quicksand  river  the  grease 
is  all  washed  from  boxes.    The  usual  amount  of  sickness. 

25th.  Fifteen  miles  to  Ash  Hollow  Hill;  nine  more 
and  camped  on  North  Platte.  Hardest  day's  work  since 
leaving  Fort  Leavenworth.  Some  mules  gave  out; 
obliged  to  come  here  to  get  grass,  as  there  is  none  below. 

26th.  Twelve  miles  over  a  very  sandy  road.  Hard- 
est dav  on  mules;  several  gave  out.  When  a  mule  can 
go  no  farther  the  team  pulls  out  of  the  line  and  stops, 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAQOOtf.  317 

the  train  keeping  right  on;  the  cavayard  comes  up, 
herder  ropes  a  fresh  mule  which  goes  into  the  team, 
which  takes  its  place  in  rear  of  the  train.  Twenty  times 
to-day  this  has  been  done,  and  in  several  instances 
mules  have  been  used  twice.  When  the  worn-out  mule 
is  turned  loose  he  rolls,  shakes  himself  and  drifts  along 
with  the  herd,  eating  grass  and  drinking,  and  in  a  few 
hours   will   do  duty  again.     His   vitality   is  wonderful. 

27th.  Ten  miles  over  a  heavy  sandy  road.  Effect 
011  mules  similar  to  yesterday.  Met  Kussell,  Majors  & 
Waddel's  train  en  route  to  Nebraska  City  with  discharged 
men,  but  I  could  not  hire  one  of  them.  With  money 
enough  to  buy  a  suit  of  jeans,  pair  of  boots  with  a  half 
moon  and  some  stars  on  the  tops,  a  wool  hat  and  a 
blanket  for  an  overcoat,  and  some  silver  in  their  pock- 
ets, why  should  they  turn  their  faces  to  the  mountains, 
sure  to  encounter  cold  weather  and  the  possibility  of 
not  coming  back  until  next  year?  To  him  it  matters 
not  that  he  could  clear  money  enough  to  buy  a  quarter 
section  of  fine  Missouri  land  and  capture  the  girl  whose 
"heel  kep'  'er  rockin',"  whom  he  could  see  afar  off  in 
his  mind's  eye.  There  were  no  charms  behind  that  he 
cared  to  turn  to,  and  he  looked  across  the  prairie  to 
the  "cabin  on  the  creek"  away  over  in  Missouri. 

28th.  Medicine  nearly  all  consumed.  Fifteen  miles 
and  camped  on  Platte.  Colonel  Cook,  Lieutenant  Bu- 
ford  and  small  escort  of  Second  Dragoons  camped  near 
me.    They  give  bad  account  of  grass. 

29th.  In  Allen's  train,  Patrick  Laughnahan  died 
this  morning  at  5  o'clock.     He  ought  to  have  stopped 


318  VIV-E  YEARS  A  DRA&OON. 

at  Kearney,  but  was  anxious  to  go  on,  and  the  doctor 
thought  he  might  pull  through.  A  heavy  rain  fell  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  trains  took  road  next  to  the  bluffs 
instead  of  river  road.  I  rode  ahead  of  train  eleven 
miles  to  some  springs  about  three  miles  east  of  Chim- 
ney Rock,  where  there  were  some  ponds  called  "The 
Lakes."  Last  night's  rains  would  fill  them,  and  I  might 
get  some  ducks.  I  found  plenty  of  them,  and  with  my 
double-barreled  shotgun  killed  a  lot.  I  waded  into  the 
water  and  was  in  the  act  of  picking  them  up  when  m> 
hcrse  snorted  and  ran  the  length  of  his  lariat.  I  lost 
-no  time  in  getting  to  the  picket  pin  and  put  my  foot 
on  it.  Here  came  a  band  of  Indians  at  full  charge,  300 
yards  away,  and  I  motioned  them  to  stop  and  brought 
down  my  gun.  (I  did  not  tell  them  it  was  empty.) 
They  came  down  to  a  walk,  but  I  insisted  upon  their 
stopping,  which  they  finally  did  150  yards  away.  Care- 
fully I  got  to  my  horse,  into  the  saddle  and  unsnapped 
the  lariat  from  the  halter.  The  chief  started  towards 
me,  bow  and  arrows  in  hand.  -*I  had  learned  to  not 
trust  Indians,  and  made  him  stop  100  yards  away;  he 
finally  rode  back  and  gave  his  bow  to  another,  and  I 
let  him  come  up  and  shake  hands.  Together  we  rode 
to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  we  could  see  the  train 
coming  two  miles  away.  There  were  but  ten  in  the 
band,  and  "Little  Thunder'  was  the  chief.  I  had  met 
him  several  times  and  called  his  name.  He  harangued 
his  followers,  and  pointing  to  me  said:  "Eton-cha.,  kola," 
meaning  "Chief,  friend,"  whereupon  all  grunted  and 
moved  towards  us,  but  I  instantly  called  a  halt,  and  they 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  319 

all  dismounted  and  waited  until  the  train  came  up.  "Lit- 
tle Thunder"  wanted  something  to  eat,  and  I  told  my 
cook  to  give  him  "hard,  tack,"  and  pointing  to  where 
I  would  camp,  north  of  Chimney  Bock,  invited  him  and 
his  band  to  dine  with  me.  They  came  at  dinner  time 
and  feasted,  behaved  well,  and  shook  hands  to  go  at 
5  o'clock.  Laughnahan  had  been  prepared  for  burial 
by  being  sewed  up  in  a  wagon  cover  four  double  in  a 
very  neat  manner  by  Mr.  Allen.  His  grave  was  dug 
and  he  lay  beside  it.  When  the  Indians  rode  by  and 
stopped  to  look,  one  of  the  men  thought  he  would 
frighten  them  by  telling  them  that  the  man  died  of 
small-pox,  and  he  succeeded.  I  came  up  just  as  the 
Indians  were  about  to  ride  away;  they  thought  that 
they  had  been  invited  to  a  camp  to  be  exposed  to  that 
dreadful  disease,  of  which  they  stood  most  in  fear. 
"Little  Thunder"  looked  sharply  at  me,  and  taking  my 
knife  I  ripped  open  the  cover  and  removed  the  white 
handkerchief,  revealing  the  pale,  smooth  face,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  inducing  all  of  them  to  come  close  and  look 
carefully.  I  explained  to  them  as  best  I  could  the  cause 
of  the  man's  death.  They  stayed  until  the  burial  was 
finished.  The  man  who  had  lied  to  them  kept  hid  in 
a  wagon;  he  was  scared  more  than  were  the  Indians.  At 
Laughnahan's  grave  was  placed  a  board  marked:  "Pat- 
rick Laughnahan.  Died  August  29,  1858."  I  sent 
Laughnahan's  memorandum  book  and  some  letters 
found  on  him  to  Captain  Van  Yliet,  quartermaster  at 
Fort    Leavenworth.      Mr.    Hamilton    very    sick;    others 

more  or  less  so. 
21- 


320  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

30th.  Met  Colonel  Alexander  and  Lieutenant  Men- 
adier  and  Captain  Marcy  and  Lieutenant  Grover  en 
route  to  the  States.  They  doubted  my  ability  to  get 
through   on  account  of  scarcity  of  grass. 

September  2d.  Arrived  at  Fort  Laramie  and  de- 
livered letters  to  Colonel  Monroe  commanding,  and 
Major  Babbitt,  quartermaster.  Drew  284  sacks  of  corn, 
185  sacks  of  oats,  and  camped  above  the  Fort.  Dr. 
Johns  prescribed  for  twelve  sick  men. 

3d.  Exchanged  twenty-eight  mules,  all  I  could  find 
here  better  than  mine.  Drew  rations  for  101  men  forty 
days.  Changed  two  wagons.  Left  two  sick  men,  Nel- 
son Story  and  Mike  Flood,  in  hospital.  Nelson  Story, 
a  friendless  youth  of  twenty,  got  well,  found  his  way 
to .  the  Pacific  Coast,  drifted  to  Montana,  mined,  and 
finally  got  into  the  cattle  business,  prospered  in  cattle, 
mines  and  banks,  and  was  a  millionaire  a  few  years  ago. 
I  have  never  seen  him  since  we  parted  at  Laramie,  but 
hope  he  still  lives  to  enjoy  his  success.  I  do  not  know 
Flood's  history  beyond  the  fact  that  he  got  well.  He 
was  a  fine  Irish  lad,  and  probably  met  with  success.*  Dr. 
Swift,  of  the  army,  was  very  kind  to  my  men  while; 
here;  overhauled  my  medicine  box,  replenished  it,  and 
gave  careful  directions. 

One  man  asked  for  his  "time,"  which  I  refused  to 
give.  Every  man  had  signed  a  contract  to  go  through 
to  Camn  Floyd  for  thirty  dollars  per  month,  whereas, 

*I  am  informed  by  Hon.  James  A.  McGonigle,  who  was 
an  officer  in  the  First  Kansas,  that  Mike  Flood  was  among  the 
first  killed  at  the  battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  in  1861.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  First  Kansas.— P.  G.  Lowe. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  32 1 

the  usual  wage  was  twenty  dollars,  and  if  I  gave  one 
man  his  time,  more  than  half  the  train  would  want  to 
go,  and  men  were  not  to  be  had  to  take  their  places. 
Gold  had  been  discovered  near  Pike's  Peak,  250  miles 
south,  and  some  soldiers  had  deserted  to  go  there,  and 
if  the  men  could  get  a  month's  pay,  many  would  de- 
sert me,  and  I  was  obliged  to  be  severe  and  draw  the 
line.  This  man  complained  to  Major  Babbitt  and  to 
the  commanding  officer.  When  spoken  to  about  it,  1 
requested  that  he  and  any  others  who  wanted  to  be 
discharged  be  placed  in  the  guard  house.  In  an  hour 
this  man  was  arrested 'and  in  the  guard  house  when  I 
left.     This  prompt  action  ended  all  complaints. 

I  was  sitting  on  a  box  in  front  of  my  tent  writing, 
when  my  attention  was  attracted  by  some  one  in  front 
of  me.  There  stood  a  man  with  an  army  size  revolver 
on  his  belt  and  leaning  on  a  long  rifle.  He  was  thirty- 
five  years  old,  big,  broad-shouldered,  long  hair  and  whis- 
kers, unkempt  and  dirty,  vicious  and  desperate  looking. 
I  never  saw  a  more  repulsive  looking  creature.  I  in- 
quired what  he  wanted,  to  which  he  replied  that  he 
wanted  employment;  was  a  mountaineer  by  profession, 
and  wanted  to  go  through  to  Camp  Floyd.  Ordinarily 
I  would  have  said  "No,"  but  I  needed  healthy  men  so 
badly  that  I  called  to  Mr.  Wilson  and  said  that  if  he 
could  use  this  man  to  hire  him,  which  he  did.  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  mention  him  again. 

Left  Fort  Laramie  September  4th.  Traveled  ten 
miles.     Trains   alternate  in  traveling — the   front   train 


322  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

to-day  will  be  the  rear  train  to-morrow,  the  middle  train 
having  moved  to  the  front. 

This  divides  the  hardships  in  the  way  of  dust  and 
rough  roads.  The  wagon  master  of  the  front  train  has 
charge  of  the  herd  until  midnight,  and  the  assistant 
from  midnight  until  time  to  corral  the  mules  at  day- 
light. Each  train  furnishes  two  teamsters  to  herd  dur- 
ing the  first  half  and  two  the  last  half  of  the  night,  so 
that  there  is  a  wagonmaster  and  six  teamsters  on  herd 
at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Hamilton  being  sick,  I  relieved 
McGilvra  at  midnight  and  found  the  mules  very  little 
trouble.  And  now  we  have  very  little  sickness  among 
teamsters. 

6th.  Rained  during  the  night,  turned  to  sleet  and 
then  snow,  and  by  10  o'clock  we  had  six  inches.  Pulled 
out  facing  the  storm.  Ten  miles  to  camp  on  North 
Platte.  Cleared  off  cold.  Killed  ten  sage  hens.  All 
well  in  trains  except  Mr.  Hamilton.  Found  an  aban- 
doned Government  wagon  and  took  from  it  three  wheels 
and  both  axles  to  take  the  place  of  some  of  mine  not 
so  good. 

8th.  Camped  on  Box  Alder.  When  the  trains  rolled 
in  one  man  had  four  mules  and  a  big  ox  with  rope  on 
its  horns  for  leader.  We  drove  along  with  the  herd  any 
oxen  able  to  travel,  and  used  some  of  the  gentle  ones  in 
harness,  always  in  the  lead. 

12th.  Arrived  at  Fort  Payne  where  there  is  a 
bridge  across  the  Platte  River.  Two  companies  of 
Fourth  Artillery  here,  Captain  Roberts  (called  by  his 
intimates  "Jo  Bobs")   commanding  —  a  fine   officer.     I 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  323 

had  taken  fifty  sacks  of  corn  from  a  contractor's  train 
the  day  before  against  the  protest  of  the  wagonmaster, 
who  felt  he  had  no  right  to  let  me  have  it.  The  coun- 
try was  almost  destitute  of  grass  and  I  could  not  hope 
to  get  through  without  feeding.  "Well,"  said  Captain 
Roberts,  "I  have  no  authority  to  advise  you,  but  if  you 
do  not  use  forage  and  lots  of  it,  you  will  find  yourself 
snowed  in  and  stock  frozen  to  death  before  you  reach 
Bridger,  just  as  the  commands  were  last  winter.  I 
would  advise  you  to  run  no  risk  that  might  prevent 
this  clothing  train  getting  through."  This  sounded  like 
the  right  kind  of  talk.  I  wanted  to  feel  that  officers 
along  the  route  would  be  ready  to  justify  me.  Six 
miles  above  Fort  Payne  crossed  North  Platte. 

And  now  we  are  in  the  "poison  springs"  country. 
We  have  water  kegs  for  drinking  and  cooking  purposes, 
and  animals  are  not  allowed  to  touch  water  other  than 
the  North  Platte.  Passed  several  more  oxe  trains;  one 
train  had  lost  seven  to  eight  cattle  per  day.  I  pro- 
nounced it  alkali  poisoning,  and  advised  driving  two 
miles  to  North  Platte  as  I  did  and  herd  them  away 
from  every  suspicious  looking  pool.  One  man,  George 
Chrisman,  had  done  that  and  his  cattle  looked  well  and 
his  losses  few. 

14th.  Camped  near  Red  Buttes  and  traded  my 
tired  horse  with  a  Frenchman  who  keeps  a  trading  post 
here,  for  an  excellent  saddle  horse.  Have  mules  herded 
two  and  three  miles  from  camp  outside  of  where  cattle 
have  grazed.  A  train  corralled  here  drove  cattle  five 
miles  to  Platte  for  water  and  grass.     Wagonmaster  said 


324  FIYE  TEARS  A  VRAQOON. 

he  was  losing  a  day,  but  was  filling  his  cattle  and  losing 
few.  Hot  days;  mules  suffering  for  want  of  water,  which 
they  must  not  have  until  they  can  be  driven  to  the 
river  at  night. 

15th.  Camped  within  two  miles  of  Sweet  Water. 
No  grass,  but  fine  water,  and  mules  browse  among  the 
grease  wood  and  sage  brush.  Our  mule  shoeing  in- 
creases as  we  move  over  the  hard  roads,  and  every  man 
who  can  nail  on  a  shoe  is  in  demand.  Killed  two 
sage  hens. 

16th.  Crossed  Sweet  Water  on  bridge  at  Independ- 
ence Eock.     Mail  station  here.     Camped  above. 

17th.  Eighteen  miles  and  camped  on  Sweet  Water, 
opposite  Split  Eock.  Contractor's  Train  No.  62  camped 
just  below  me.  Examined  train,  asked  the  usual  ques- 
tions, and  finally  asked  why  he  was  lying  by,  and  how 
long  he  had  been  there.  Three  days,  and  because  he 
and  "the  boys"  had  a  dispute  about  guard  duty,  the 
hour  of  starting  in  the  morning,  and  a  few  other  little 
matters — the  old  story  of  a  train  without  a  head.  1 
told  him  that  I  would  try  to  send  some  one  with  a  crew 
to  drive  this  one  out,  and  let  them  "hoof"  it  back  with- 
out pay.  (Bluff,  of  course.)  Two  hours  later  here  came 
the  train  and  went  five  miles  beyond  me  to  camp.  The 
next  day  they  traveled  so  well  that  I  did  not  overtake 
them,  and  the  next  day  we  camped  near  together.  The 
wagonmaster  said  that  three  of  the  men  knew  me.  They 
were  of  the  "Captain's"  drunken  train,  whom  I  dis- 
charged in  the  valley. 

The  desperado  hired  at  Laramie  proved  to  be  such 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  325 

an  incorrigible  scoundrel  that  Wagonmaster  Wilson  told 
me  he  would  have  to  give  up  control  or  kill  him.  He 
boasted  of  having  killed  two  men,  and  was  an  overbear- 
ing bully.  I  told  Wilson  to  let  him  herd  the  mules;  he 
would  not  care  for  a  team,  and  cursed  and  abused  mules 
and  men.  When  the  mules  were  turned  loose  I  told  him 
to  drive  them  north  and  save  the  grass  near  camp  for 
night.  Some  time  had  passed — mules  all  loose  and  graz- 
ing around  camp.  I  called  to  the  man  and  asked  if  he 
did  not  understand  what  I  told  him.     He  yelled  back: 

"Well, 'em,  ain't  they  goin'?"     I  then  told 

him  to  come  ft)  me.  I  was  in  the  act  of  washing  in 
a  bucket,  clothes  all  off  to  the  waist,  and  my  cook  stand- 
ing near  ready  to  hand  me  a  towel.  As  he  came  saun- 
tering up  the  slope  towards  me  swearing  viciously,  I 
noticed  him  slip  his  pistol  to  the  front.  When  close  to 
me  I  asked  what  he  meant,  when  he  drew  his  pistol. 
Quick  as  lightning  I  caught  his  hand  with  both  of  mine, 
jerked  the  pistol  from  him,  and  with  it  struck  with  all 
my  might  on  the  top  of  his  head.  He  fell  as  if  shot 
through  the  brain,  and  quivered  as  if  in  a  death  strug- 
gle, while  blood  flowed  freely.  A  dozen  men  came  with 
knives  or  pistols,  and  begged  me  to  step  aside  and  let 
them  "finish  him."  I  waved  them  back  and  had  him 
carried  to  my  tent,  got  out  my  medicine  box,  gave  him 
a  swallow  of  whiskey  (here  a  man  said,  "What  a  shame 
to  waste  the  whuskey!"),  and  with  scissors  cut  the  hair 
along  the  edges  of  the  worst  scalp  wound  I  ever  saw. 
A  thin  sliver  of  bone  came  off.  While  two  men  held 
his   hands   I   took   seven  stitches,    and   with    strips    of 


326  WW  TEARS  A  DRAGOON- 

court-plaster  drew  the  edges  together  the  best  that  I 
could.  In  the  meantime  the  man  revived,  and  in  an 
hour  was  semi-conscious.  I  let  him  lay  in  my  tent  un- 
til my  cook  made  him  some  tea,  and  he  was  able  to  walk 
to  the  wagon,  where  he  slept  on  sacks  of  oats.  How  he 
rallied  from  such  a  wound  was  a  mystery.  The  next 
day  we  passed  a  trading  post,  where  a  vicious  looking 
lot  of  fellows  were  loafing,  and  when  the  wagon  in 
which  my  man  was  riding  got  opposite  to  it  he  asked 
the  teamster  to  stop,  got  out  his  few  effects,  and  said 
"good  bye."  After  coming  into  camp  the  mule  that  I 
rode  during  the  day  was  turned  into  the  herd,  and  my 
horse  saddled  and  bridled  and  hitched  to  my  mess  wagon 
ready  for  use.  He  ran  in  the  cavayard  during  the  day. 
As  this  desperate  scoundrel  approached,  he  determined 
to  kill  me,  mount  my  horse  and  escape,  with  all  the 
glory  that  would  be  showered  upon  him  by  his  class  for 
murdering  the  chief  of  that  big  outfit.  That  was  the 
way  I  interpreted  his  conduct.  When  I  seized  the  pistol 
it  was  cocked,  and  nothing  but  my  quick  action  saved  me. 
20th.  Camped  on  Sweet  Water.  A  dragoon  ser- 
geant came  riding  into  camp  and  said  that  he  was  part 
of  an  escort  en  route  to  the  States  with  some  officers 
who  had  learned  that  I  had  a  forge,  and  they  wanted 
to  get  a  few  shoes  set  on  an  ambulance  team.  He  said 
the  officers  were  Major  Sibley,  and  Lieutenants  Morris 
and  Bell  of  the  Second  Dragoons.  I  asked  him  to  say 
to  the  Major  that  I  would  be  glad  to  do  anything  for 
him  that  I  could,  and  showed  him  a  good  place  to 
camp  near  my  Sibley  tent.    In  half  an  hour  they  Game 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  327 

in.  I  knew  Norris  and  Bell  very  well,  and  was  intro- 
duced to  Sibluy;  I  invited  them  to  share  my  tent,  which 
they  did.  I  had  instructed  my  cook  to  get  up  as  good 
a  dinner  as  he  could,  and  they  dined  with  me.  Of  course 
we  talked  of  both  ends  of  the  route,  but  during  a  lull 
the  Major  remarked  that  he  did  not  remember  having 
met  me  before,  and  was  pleased  with  the  cordial  man- 
ner in  which  I  had  told  the  sergeant  I  would  be  glad 
to  do  anything  I  could  for  him.  I  told  him  that  there 
was  a  reason  benind  all  of  it,  and  went  on  to  state  that 
"once  upon  a  time,  etc.,"  a  young  man  came  to  his  re- 
cruiting office  in  Boston  to  enlist.  That  he,  the  Major, 
had  advised  the  youth  against  such  a  step,  told  him  the 
consequences,  the  position  in  which  he  would  place  him- 
self, the  probable  estrangement  from  family  and  friends, 
and  finally,  after  putting  him  off  some  days,  enlisted 
the  youth  against  his,  the  Major's  protest.  "That  was 
nearly  nine  years  ago,  and  this  my  first  opportunity  of 
showing  my  gratitude  for  good  advice  and  the  kindly 
manner  in  which  you  treated  me;  and  I  never  sleep  in  a 
Sibley  tent  without  thinking  of  you."  "Are  you  the 
young  sailor  with  good  clothes  and  hands  so  soft  that  I 
would  not  believe  him?"  "Yes  sir."  "Well,  now,  will 
you  please  tell  me  how  you  got  through  with  your  enlist- 
ment, and  how  you  happen  to  be  here?"  Of  course  T 
sketched  a  little  of  my  life,  which  has  been  told  in  former 
articles. 

These  officers  advised  me  to  "rob"  every  train  that 
I  found  with  forage;  that  my  train  was  of  great  impor- 
tance; that  no  effort  or  expense  should  be  spared  to  ge' 


328  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON- 

it  through.  I  lost  four  mules  in  a  week.  In  grazing  the 
short  grass  the  mules  eat  too  much  saline  matter,  which 
causes  them  to  drink  too  much  water. 

21st.  Twelve  miles  to  where  road  forks,  right  hand 
over  "Rocky  Ridge  Road,"  left  hand  over  "Semino's  Cut- 
off"; took  the  latjter  up  Warm  Spring  branch  three  miles, 
and  camped  at  Springs.  Took  three  hundred  sacks  of 
oats  from  Contractor's  Train  No.  23,  and  shipped  seven 
bales  of  store  tents  and  tent  poles  by  same  train. 

22d.  Camped  at  Cold  Springs.  Camped  here  was 
Contractors'  Train  No.  23.  It  left  Fort  Leavenworth 
the  17th  of  June;  had  much  trouble  with  wagons;  some 
wheels  broken  down  —  iron  axle  wagons.  Contractors 
and  nearly  all  big  freighters  crossing  the  plains  used 
wooden  axle  wagons  made  by  Murphy  or  Espenscheidt  of 
St.  Louis,  or  Young  and  others  of  Independence,  Mo., 
and  were  able  to  carry  their  6000-pound  loads  anywhere. 
I  gave  the  wagonmaster  all  the  information  that  I  could 
about  repairing  his  wagons,  but  he  seemed  much  dis- 
couraged, and  there  was  a  want  of  confidence  look  about 
the  men — a  sort  of  awkward  helplessness,  that  made  an 
excuse  for  them  to  lie  by  a  day  at  a  time.  The  appear- 
ance of  this  train  caused  me  to  appreciate  the  cheerful 
helpfulness  of  my  own  men.  No  matter  how  hard  the 
day,  how  warm  or  how  cold,  there  was  a  cheerful  taking 
hold,  early  or  late,  that  kept  everything  up  to  date  and 
moving;  no  sulking,  no  growling — all  that  had  been  left 
more  than  600  miles  east.  The  men  were  as  anxious  to 
get  through  as  was  I,  and  all  had  worked  into  the  habit 
of  helping  wherever  their  services  were   needed.     One 


FIVE.  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  329 

wagonmastei,  Mr.  Allen  and  two  assistants,  Mr.  Jackson 
and  Mr.  Hamilton,  were  new  to  the  severities  of  such  a 
trip,  but  they  acquitted  themselves  excellently,  and  soon 
became  equal  to  veterans.  Many  of  the  men  had  much 
to  learn,  but  they  came  to  time  under  discouraging  cir- 
cumstances and  often  severe  illness.  The  vim,  push  and 
energy  in  one  of  my  trains,  under  either  of  my  wagon- 
maj.|ters,  would  have  landed  the  contractor's  train  in 
Camp  Floyd  before  this  time. 

While  commenting  on  the  contractors'  trains,  I  will 
say  the  firm  of  Russell,  Majors  &  Waddel  was  a  wonder- 
ful organization,  and  while  a  small  percentage  of  their 
wagonmasters  were  by  inexperience  and  want  of  charac- 
ter unfit  for  positions  of  authority  or  responsibility,  a 
large  majority  of  them  were  in  their  line  of  business  the 
"salt  of  the  earth/'  possessing  unusual  courage,  perse- 
verance, good  judgment  and  business  ability,  and  remark- 
able in  the  management  of  men. 

23d.  Grossed  South  Pass  and  camped  five  miles 
beyond  on  Pacific  Springs  Creek.  Contractors'  Trains 
Nos.  21  and  22  camped  here;  Nos.  24  and  15  passed  on. 

24th.  Eight  miles  to  Big  Sandy.  Twelve  more  and 
camped  on  Little  Sandy.  Passed  trains  N"os.  48,  51,  54, 
20,  24  and  25.  Took  from  Train  No.  20,  John  W.  Hall, 
wagonmaster,  170  sacks  of  oats. 

25th.     Crossed  Green  River  at  Bateese  trading  post. 

26th.  Eighteen  miles  to  and  along  Black's  and 
Ham's  Forks  of  Green  River,  and  camped  on  the  latter. 
This  day  has  been  along  the  route  where  nundreds  of 
mules  and  horses  were  starved  and  frozen  to  death  last 


330  FiyE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

winter.  At  one  place  several  trains  of  six-mule  teams 
stood  tied  to  the  wagons.  The  latter  had  been  hauled 
away,  but  the  mules  lay  just  as  they  died,  their  dry  skins 
stretched  over  their  bones,  some  lying  on  one  side,  some 
with  their  feet  under  them,  and  some  standing  in  a  brac- 
ing position,  generally  two  on  each  side  of  where  the 
wagon  stood  and  two  behind — dead  horses  and  mules  for 
miles.  This  was  Camp  Scott.  There  is  a  bridge  here 
guarded  by  fifteen  soldiers. 

27th.  Crossed  Ham's  Fork  twice  and  then  Black's 
Fork,  and  camped.  Left  train  and  crossed  Smith's  Fork 
at  Jack  Eobinson's  trading  post  and  came  on  to  Bridger. 
Called  on  the  commanding  officer,  Colonel  Canby;  stop- 
ped all  night  and  took  dinner  and  breakfast  with  Captair 
P.  T.  Turnley,  quartermaster,  and  his  chief  clerk,  Mr. 
.John  E.  Brooke  (now  Lieutenant' General  Brooke,  retired). 

Captain  Turnley  opened  my  papers,  addressed  to 
the  senior  officer  of  the  quartermaster's  department  in 
Utah,  and  Colonel  Canby  directed  me  to  turn  over  to 
Captain  Turnley  120  bales  and  two  boxes  and  six  sets 
tent  poles.  Train  came  up  and  camped  at  noon  of  28th. 
Got  hay  from  Captain  Turnley.  The  whole  train  unload- 
ed, turned  over  packages  ordered  and  reloaded.  One 
man  left  here  sick.  One  discharged  on  14th  for  miscon- 
duct, but  allowed  to  travel  with  the  train  without  pay, 
was  left  here — a  wiser  if  not  a  better  man. 

29th.  Thirty  years  old  to-day.  Colonel  Canby 
and  Captain  Turnley  say  there  is  no  grass  from  Bridger 
to  Salt  Lake,  120  miles,  and  not  much  from  Salt  Lake 
to  Camp  Floyd,  forty-five  more.     Captain   Simpson  of 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  331 

the  Engineers  had  laid  out  a  road  from  Camp  Floyd  to 
Bridger,  following  the  Mormon  road  through  Timpano- 
gas  Canon,  from  the  head  of  which  he  threw  up  mounds 
on  high  points  a  short  distance  apart,  so  that  starting 
from  Bridger  one  could  follow  the  line  of  mounds  nearly 
100  miles  to  the  head  of  Timpanogas  or  Provo  Can  on, 
and  then  through  the  canon  to  its  mouth,  near  which 
Timpanogas  or  Provo  Eiver  flows  into  the  lake  of  the 
same  name,  and  thence  through  the  towns  of  Battle 
Creek,  American  Fork  and  Lehi  to  Camp  Floyd.  Neither 
Government  nor  contractors'  trains  had  gone  that  way, 
and  hunch  grass  was  fine.  Neither  Colonel  Canhy  nor 
Captain  Turnley  would  advise  me,  hut  I  thought  they 
leaned  toward  the  new  route,  and  I  reasoned  that  if 
snow-hound  where  there  was  plenty  of  grass  I  could  win- 
ter, and  the  goods  could  be  hauled  in  from  time  to  time, 
when  the  weather  permitted.  So  that  it  was  a  perfect- 
ly smooth  road  by  Salt  Lake  165  miles  to  Floyd,  with  no 
grass  and  half  rations  of  corn  or  oats,  or  about  the  same 
distance  on  an  entirely  unbroken  road,  through  sage 
brush  nearly  one  hundred  miles,  with  the  same  corn  and 
oats,  and  fine  grass,  about  thirty  miles  through  a  crooked 
canon,  and  the  balance  an  ordinarily  good  road. 

Launched  out  on  the  new  road.  Traveled  eight 
miles  over  sage  brush  and  camped  on  branch  of  Black's 
Fork  of  Green  Eiver;  mules  exhausted;  plenty  of  grass 
and  fine  waiter.  After  dinner  started  out  to  explore 
some  distance  ahead.  Soon  struck  a  trail  and  followed 
it  about  four  miles  and  very  unexpectedly  came  into  the 
old  road  from  Bridger  to  Salt  Lake.     Eiding  along  by 


332  FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Sulphur  Springs,  I  met  Major  Prince,  paymaster,  who 
was  just  from  Camp  Floyd.  He  came  through  Timpano- 
gas  Canon,  over  the  divide  to  Weber  River,  down  river 
to  mouth  of  Echo  Canon,  thence  through  the  canon  to 
where  I  met  him.  He  wrote  in  my  memorandum  book  a 
minute  account  of  the  route,  distances,  water,  grass,  etc., 
and  advised  me  by  all  means  to  go  through  Echo  Canon 
and  take  the  route  he  came.  From  his  account  I  felt 
very  much  encouraged.  About  forty  miles  would  take 
me  to  and  through  the  canon,  and  from  that  on  I  woul<? 
have  fine  grass. 

30th.  Took  the  trail  down  to  the  old  road,  crossed 
Bear  River  and  camped  ten  miles  beyond.  In  a  canon  a 
mile  from  camp  I  found  fine  grass.  Narrow  way  to  enter, 
and  no  one  seemed  to  have  discovered  it.  In  the  night 
found  a  herder  asleep,  turned  his  mule  loose  and  brought 
in  his  saddle  and  bridle. 

October  1st.  Ten  miles  to  head  of  Echo  Canon;  ten 
more  and  camped  in  middle  of  canon  at  "Ten  Mile  Rock." 
Rained  in  afternoon,  turned  to  sleet  and  then  to  snow; 
no  grass;  fed  oats. 

2d.  Six  inches  of  snow.  Ten  miles  to  mouth  of 
canon;  mail  station.  Turned  to  left  and  crossed  Canon 
Creek.  Took  new  road  up  Weber  River  two  miles,  and 
camped  on  it.  A  party  of  men  cutting  hay  here  for  mail 
station.  Finer  grass  never  grew,  and  the  mules  are  mak- 
ing up  for  shortage  last  night.  Left  two  mules  here 
unable  to  travel — effects  of  storm  and  freeze.  Snow  all 
gone. 

3d.  Ten  miles  and  camped  where  road  leaves  to 
cross  the  divide  between  Weber  River  and  Silver  Creek. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  333 

A  signboard  here  says  seventy-three  and  a  half  miles 
to  Camp  Floyd.  Ox  Train  No.  60  following  me  camped 
below;  twenty  wagons;  six  have  been  abandoned  for 
various  reasons. 

It  was  estimated  that  between  Kearney  and  Camp 
Floyd  there  were  abandoned  chains  enough,  if  straight- 
ened out,  to  reach  the  whole  distance,  but  this  is  doubt- 
less an  exaggeration.  Hundreds  of  wagons,  Govern- 
ment and  contractors',  were  strewn  the  whole  distance. 
The  carcasses  of  cattle,  horses  and  mules  were  scattered 
by  hundreds.  Ranchmen  got  rich  by  picking  up  aban- 
doned stock,  driving  it  away  from  the  main  traveled 
road,  and  waiting  until  the  next  season  to  trade  their 
recuperated  stock  for  a  new  crop  of  broken-down  ones 
and  a  good  price  to  boot. 

4th.  Divide  between  Weber  River  and  Silver  Creek 
is  a  small  mountain,  hard,  firm  road  about  eight  miles. 
The  first  and  second  trains  passed  over  without  doub- 
ling teams;  rain  began  to  fall,  and  the  last  train  had  to 
double,  and  were  until  2  o'clock  coming  into  camp  on 
Silver  Creek.  Mules  turned  loose  in  fine  grass,  and 
soon  filled  themselves.  Rain  turned  to  sleet,  and  before 
dark  we  corralled  the  mules  in  a  heavy  snow  storm, 
which  continued  until  towards  morning. 

5th.  At  daylight  opened  corral  and  the  mules 
came  out  (always  the  strongest  first)  quietly  and  scat- 
tered among  the  willows  along  the  creek.  Snow  covered 
the  level  creek  bottom  fifteen  inches.  All  but  about 
thirty  came  out  without  much  urging;  they  were  down 
in  the  mud  or  had  lost  hope  and  the  energy  to  move. 


334  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Men  got  ropes,  and  all  but  two,  which  died,  were  got- 
ten onto  their  feet.  A  few  hundred  yards  away  was 
a  side  hill  where  the  snow  was  blown  off  the  grass,  and 
the  mules  were  driven  to  it.  Men  built  good  fires,  took 
their  time  and  got  a  good  breakfast.  The  sun  came 
out  and  snow  melted  rapidly.  With  willow  brush  men 
knocked  snow  and  ice  from  harness  and  wagons,  and 
at  noon  the  mules  were  brought  in  and  fed  oats.  After 
dinner  the  teams  were  hitched  up,  and  slowly  the  wagons 
rolled  out  of  the  muddy  camp.  About  two  miles  away 
I  had  selected  a  camp  on  high,  sandy  ground,  where 
the  snow  was  mostly  blown  off  and  the  little  left  was 
rapidly  sinking  into  the  sand.  To  this  point  the  trains 
were  moved,  the  round  corral  was  built  and  the  mules 
turned  loose.  The  sun  had  done  good  work,  mules 
had  exercise  enougn  to  get  warmed  up,  and  on  i  neigh- 
boring side  hill  facing  south  they  found  fine  grass. 
The  whole  outfit  was  -pretty  well  tired  out,  but  every- 
body, even  the  poor  mules,  quite  comfortable. 

6th.  Two  miles  to  ton  of  hill  and  one  mile  down, 
steep  and  rocky,  to  branch  of  Provo  Eiver,  down  l*vo 
miles  to  main  river.  We  were  four  hours  making  the 
next  two  miles;  crossed  the  river  or  its  branches  five 
times;  five  miles  farther,  and  camped  on  river;  fine 
camp  and  plenty  of  grass.     Snow  nearly  all  gone. 

7th.  One  mule  died;  down  river  six  miles,  cross- 
ing it  twice.  Broke  wagon  so  badly  that  I  abandoned 
it,  having  ~ut  the  load  into  other  wagons.  Three  miles 
to  head  of  Timpanogas  or  Provo  Canon;  down  canon 
one  mile  and  camped.    Plenty  of  grass.    From  1  o'clock 


Fl »  E  TEARS  A  DRAGOON-  335 

until  sunset  getting  the  last  two  miles.  The  road  has 
been  made  along  the  side  of  the  mountain  by  digging 
down  the  bank,  sometimes  through  solid  rock  and  build- 
ing stone,  or  wooden  embankments  on  the  lower  side, 
thereby  making  an  excellent  road  for  the  snort  teams 
of  the  settlers,  two  horses  or  two  oxen  to  a  wagon,  but 
the  curves  a?  3  so  short  that  a  six-mule  team  could  not 
make  the  turn.  In  some  places  we  took  off  the  lead 
and  swing  mules  and  carefully  worked  around  the  short 
curves  with  the  wheel  mules  and  the  help  of  men.  It 
was  very  tedious,  but  if  a  wagon  went  over  it  would  fall 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  to  the  rocky 
river  bed  and  carry  with  it  team  and  driver. 

8th.  Down  canon  ten  miles  and  crossed  bridge. 
Two  more  and  camped  at  its  mouth.  No  grass.  Eode 
to  Provo  City,  five  miles,  and  bought  eighty-six  bushels 
of  wheat  and  oats,  to  be  delivered  at  my  camp  at  $2.00 
per  bushel — wheat  and  oats  same  price. 

9th.  We  have  left  mountains  and  come  into  sum- 
mer weather.  Six  miles  to  Battle  Creek  settlement, 
three  to  American  Fork,  three  more  to  Lehi;  beautiful 
place,  surrounded  by  an  adobe  wall,  with  wide  gate  at 
east  and  west  sides.  It  was  a  lovely  Sunday,  and  the 
whole  town,  men,  women  and  children,  in  their  Sunday 
clothes,  crowded  to  the  east  side,  covering  the  wall  and 
crowding  the  gate  to  look  at  the  long  train  as  it  wound 
its  way  along  the  road.  I  stopped  to  water  my  horse 
at  the  beautiful  asaquia  which  seemed  to  encircle  the 
town  just  inside  the  wall.     A  very  intelligent  man,  who 

gave  the  name  of  Clark,  entered  into  conversation  with 
22— 


336 


FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


me,  and  when  I  inquired  for  a  good  place  to  camp,  told 
me  that  just  outside  of  the  west  gate  was  a  good  place, 


General  Albert   Sidney  Johnston. 

and  the   only  grass  I  would  find  east  of  Camp  Floyd. 
Leaving  Mr.  Daniels,  who  was  riding  with  me,  to  con- 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  337 

duct  the  train  through  the  town,  I  galloped  on  and 
selected  my  camp,  and  by  2  o'clock  we  were  comfortably 
settled.  I  told  the  man  Clark  that  I  would  buy  100 
bushels  of  oats  at  my  camp  and  pay  the  customary  price 
in  the  country,  $2.00  per  bushel.  I  paid  cash,  and  in 
buying  a  little  more  than  100  bushels  I  dealt  with 
twenty  people.  Some  families  brought  only  two  or 
three  bushels  on  their  backs,  which  probably  repre- 
sented their  own  hand  labor.  I  took  a  few  bushels 
more  than  I  wanted  rather  than  see  the  poor  people 
carry  it  back. 

10th.  Train  started  early.  My  bridle  was  missing. 
Some  one  had  stolen  it  while  I  was  buying  oats.  Two 
mules  lost  during  the  night. 

Having  crossed  Jordan  on  bridge,  the  mules  were 
watered,  trains  straightened  out,  and  I  rode  on  with 
Mr.  Jackson  to  Camp  Floyd,  where  we  arrived  at  10 
a.  m.,  and  I  reported  to  Colonel  Crossman,  chief  quar- 
termaster, who  was  glad  to  see  me.  He  and  every  one 
supposed  that  my  losses  would  be  heavy  in  the  big  snow- 
storm, and  probably  I  could  only  move  a  part  of  the 
train  at  a  time.  At  headquarters  he  introduced  me  to 
Colonel  Johnston*  and  Adjutant-General  Porter,  who 
remembered  me  from  the  year  before.  Expressmen 
had  been  sent  out  to  look  for  me,  but  had  not  been 
heard  from.     Colonel  Johnston  asked  if  I  had  all  that 


*When  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  was  graduated,  in  June 
1826,  he  was  entitled,  by  virtue  of  his  rank  in  his  class,  to  select 
which  arm  of  the  service  he  preferred.  Had  a  cavalry  corps 
then  existed  his  taste  would  have  led  him  to  enter  it." — From 
William  Preston  Johnston's  "Life  of  Albert  Sidney  Johnston." 


338  FIyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

I  started  with,  and  I  told  him  I  had,  except  what  I  left 
at  Bridger  by  Colonel  Canby's  order.  Train  arrived 
and  camped  near  springs  out  side  of  garrison. 

11th  to  15th,  inclusive.  Unloading  trains  and  turn- 
ing over  wagons,  mules,  harness  and  other  equipments, 
and  getting  clean  receipts  for  all  property  in  my  charge. 
Thirty-four  mules  dead  or  otherwise  lost,  which  were 
covered  by  affidavits.  Colonel  Crossman  wanted  all  of 
my  men  who  would  stay  to  work  at  Camp  Floyd,  and 
I  turned  over  to  him  a  list  including  all  except  the 
wagonmasters  and  assistants,  wheelwright,  blacksmith 
and  eight  teamsters — including  myself,  seventeen — who 
wanted  to  return. 

Selected  two  six-mule  teams,  wagons  and  covers, 
some  extra  wagon  covers,  my  Sibley  tent,  four  common 
tents,  and  complete  equipments,  for  return  trip;  also 
four  riding  mules,  one  for  myself  and  one  for  each  of 
the  wagonmastelrs.  I  was  offered  my  choice  of  any  mules 
at  the  camp,  but  I  found  none  equal  to  my  best,  and  my 
friend  Jim  Miller,  who  had  charge  of  the  herds  in  Rush 
Valley,  told  me  that  out  of  500  mules  he  had  none  so 
good. 

I  was  given  the  use  of  a  desk  in  Captain  Page's 
office  while  at  the  post,  and  while  writing  to-day  I 
heard  a  man  tell  Captain  Page  that  he  had  brought  in 
a  stray  mule.  A  voucher  was  made  and  the  man  paid. 
As  he  was  mounting  his  pony  at  the  door  I  looked  up 
and  recognized  Clark,  and  my  lost  bridle  on  his  pony. 
I  stepped  out  quickly,  unbuckled  the  throat  latch,  jerked 
the  reins  from  the  man's  hand  and  bridle  from  the 
pony's  head,  and  struck  a  blow  on  his  rump  with  the 


FIVE  YEAR8  A  DRAGOON.  339 

bridle.  He  bounded  off  at  a  fearful  rate,  away  across 
the  parade  ground,  out  into  the  country  and  out  of 
sight.  He  was  a  fine  rider  and  held  to  the  saddle  ad- 
mirably.    I  never  saw  him  again. 

16th.  Drew  rations  for  seventeen  men  and  forage 
for  twenty  -  two  mules  ten  days,  supposed  to  last  to 
Bridger.  Two  artillery  officers,  Lieutenants  Howard 
and  Talmadge,  were  ordered  to  Platte  bridge,  Fort 
Payne,  and  to  accompany  my  party.  They  were  al- 
lowed a  six-mule  team  and  spring  wagon  for  transpor- 
tation, which  I  selected  for  them.  Having  no  mess  or 
servants,  I  invited  them  to  join  me,  which  they  were 
glad  to  do.  My  cook  was  among  those  left  at  Floyd, 
but  of  the  teamsters  returning  one  Robinson  was  an 
excellent  cook,  and  so  far  as  food  made  of  Government 
rations  was  concerned,  we  fared  well.  Three  inches  of 
snow  to-day. 

17th.  Lieutenant  Talmadge  has  a  white  pony  which 
he  will  use  instead  of  riding  in  the  wagon.  The  little 
train  left  at  9  o'clock.  I  got  my  papers,  said  "Good- 
bye," and  with  Talmadge  left  at  1  o'clock,  coming  into 
camp  on  east  side  of  Jordan  River  at  4,  eighteen  miles. 
Bought  hay  for  mules;  snowed  all  afternoon.  This  is 
one  of  my  anniversaries;  I  enlisted  in  the  army  nine 
years  ago  to-day. 

18th.  Out  of  camp  at  sunrise.  Twenty-seven  miles 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  we  arrived  at  2  o'clock.  Ar- 
ranged for  corral  room  and  as  much  hay  as  mules  can 
eat  for  fifty  cents  each.  Leaving  our  animals  at  the 
corral,   Talmadge    and   I   started   out   to   see    the    city. 


340  FIVE   FEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Called  on  Gilbert  &  Gerrish,  C.  A.  Perry,  Livingston  & 
Kinoaid,  Bradford  &  Cabbott,  Miller,  Bussell  &  Cole. 
Dodson,  agent  for  Hockaday's  Salt  Lake  mail,  etc. — 'all 
that  we  knew  to  be  from  "  God's  Country/7  as  we  called 
the  vicinity  of  the  Missouri  Kiver.  Wagons  arrived  at 
5.  Howard,  Talmadge  and  I  out  about  town.  We  were 
extremely  anxious  to  see  Brigham  Young,  but  Gover- 
nor Cummings  had  given  stringent  orders  against  any 
one  seeing  him.  Dined  at  the  Globe  Hotel,  kept  by  Mor- 
mons exclusively  for  Gentile  boarders.  Went  to  Mr. 
Gerrish's  room  and  wrote  until  midnight,  when  the  room 
was  filled  by  Gerrish,  Brannan,  Bradford,  Miller,  Tal- 
madge, Stewart  and  several  others.  I  like  to  write  the 
names  of  these  bright  young  business  men,  so  that  they 
may  be  remembered  by  oid  friends. 

i  19th.  Breakfast  at  daylight.  Teams  and  party 
off  at  8.  Went  to  Gerrish's  store  and  bought  buffalo 
overshoes,  and  went  around  wich  him  to  say  "Good-by," 
and  finally  at  9  o'clock  got  out  of  the  city. 

When  four  miles  out  on  the  "table"  took  a  fare- 
well look  at  the  city,  Great  Salt  Lake,  etc.  It  seemed 
a  pity  to  have  come  such  a  tedious  journey  to  see  so 
little  of  this  interesting  country.  Five  miles  from  the 
city  entered  Emigration  Canon  through  the  Golden  Gate. 
Bough  road.  Seven  miles  to  foot  of  Little  Mountain, . 
one  mile  to  top  of  mountain.  Snow  two  feet  deep.  Ten 
mules  to  each  wagon;  every  one  pushing;  three  trips 
must  be  made  to  get  the  wagons  and  things  up.  At  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  a  man  was  drunk.  From  the 
wagon  I  had  him  and  all  things  taken,  and  found  one 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON-  341 

two-gallon  and  two  one-gallon  jugs  of  whiskey.  I  broke 
each  of  them  on  a  wagon  wheel,  and  that  ended  the 
whiskey  part  of  the  campaign.  However  much  a  few 
may  have  grieved,  there  were  no  tears  nor  protests. 

No  grass,  but  some  hay  brought  from  corrals. 
Mules  very  tired.  And  now  the  prospect  is  that  we  will 
have  a  severe  time  during  the  1,340  miles  ahead  of  us, 
and  no  pains  must  be  spared  to  keep  up  the  strength 
of  the  mules.  I  brought  from  Floyd  some  extra  wagon 
covers,  and  now  have  a  half  dozen  of  them  brought  out 
and  each  torn  into  four  equal  pieces,  each  one  covering 
a  mule  all  over.  The  mules,  not  being  accustomed  to 
this,  offered  some  gentle  protests,  but  we  soon  got  them 
used  to  it.  We  had  no  twine,  and  used  wooden  pegs 
to  hold  on  the  strings,  and  used  ropes  partly  untwisted 
to  make  soft  surcingles  of.  Of  course,  the  covers  were 
only  put  on  when  mules  were  tied  up,  which  would  be 
nearly  all  the  time  during  the  night. 

20th.  Night  very  cold.  Off  at  sunrise.  Two  miles 
to  foot  of  "Big  Mountain,"  and  one  mile  to  top.  Ten 
mules  and  full  crew  to  each  wagon;  snow  from  one  to 
two  feet  deep.  Seven  eight-mule  teams  belonging  to 
Kussell,  Majors  &  Waddel  came  up  from  the  other  side 
with  the  help  of  ox  teams;  mules  looking  badly — scarce- 
ly able  to  walk.  One  mile  down  met  Hobbs  &  Street's 
train — cattle  dying  rapidly.  Two  miles  to  East  Canon, 
and  three  miles  down  and  camped.     Little  grass. 

21st.  Hereafter,  for  want  of  space  I  shall  not  men- 
tion any  outfits,  unless  for  special  reasons.  Nineteen 
miles  and  camped  in  corrals  at  Weber  Eiver  mail  sta- 


342  FiyE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

tion,  mouth  of  Echo  Canon.  Bought  plenty  of  hay  for 
mules,  and  some  to  carry  along,  of  one  Briggs,  the 
station  keeper  (a  seceded  Mormon)  who  entertained  us 
with  many  stories  of  why  his  wife  would  not  leave  the 
Mormons  when  he  did. 

22d.  Off  early.  Met  Branning's  train  in  middle  of 
Echo  Canon.  Gilbert,  wagonmaster,  has  lost  150  cattle 
since  leaving  the  States;  has  been  reinforced  by  forty, 
and  eighty  now  await  him  above  the  mouth  of  canon. 
Snowing  some.  Made  two  drives,  traveled  thirty-two 
miles,   and  camped  at  sunset. 

23d.  Off  at  sunrise.  Six  miles  and  crossed  Bear 
Eiver.  Twenty-six  more  and  camped  at  sunset  on  Mud 
Creek,  having  left  the  old  road  and  crossed  over  to  the 
new.    Fine  grass.    Divided  the  day  into  two  drives. 

24th.  Off  at  sunrise.  Fourteen  miles  to  Bridger, 
and  although  Sunday  I  had  some  mules  shod.  Drew 
forage  and  rations  for  fifteen  days. 

25th.  Finished  shoeing  mules  and  started  train  at 
noon.  Salt  Lake  mail  arrived  with  United  States  Sen- 
ator Broderick  of  California  a  passenger.  Fourteen 
miles  and  camped  on  Black's  Fork. 

26th.  Thirty-eight  miles  to  camp  on  Black's  Fork, 
where  road  leaves  for  Green  Eiver — three  drives. 

27th.  Thirty-one  miles  to  Sandy,  and  camped — 
two  drives. 

28th.  Off  before  daylight.  Met  fifteen  six-mule 
teams  hauling  Salt  Lake  mail,  coaches  and  ambulances. 
Ten  miles  and  crossed  Big  Sandy,  and  lunched.  Twelve 
more  ar_d  again  turned  loose.    Twelve  more  and  camped 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  343 

on  Pacific  Creek.  I  must  make  short  drives,  and  two 
or  three  of  them  every  day.  When  mules  are  turned 
loose  they  roll,  and  pick  whatever  grass  they  can  find. 
Having  water  always  in  kegs  for  cooking,  I  stop  when- 
ever I  find  a  patch  of  grass — water  or  no  water — taking 
care  that  the  mules  are  watered  often  en  route.  We 
have  so  many  men  and  so  few  mules  to  care  ior  that 
it  makes  light,  work.  Mules  thoroughly  rubbed  every 
night  and  morning,  especially  their  legs. 

29th.  Off  at  sunrise.  One  mile  from  camp  found 
Mr.  Wilson,  Attorney-Genertl  for  Utah,  in  camp.  All 
of  his  transportation  for  himself  and  wife  consisted  of 
one  six-mule  ambulance.  Mrs.  Wilson*  cooking  break- 
fast for  her  husband,  herself  and  the  teamster.  Fifteen 
miles  farther,  and  turned  loose  an  hour.  Three  miles 
to  Pacific  Springs,  five  more  to  South  Pass.  Eight 
more,  and  camped  at  dark  on  Sweet  Water,  one  mile 
above  mail  station.     Very  cold  and  threatens  snow. 

30th.  Off  at  daylight  over  Semino's  Cutoff.  Made 
three  drives  ana  camped  0.  Sage  Creek  at  4.  Very  coid, 
snow  falling  and  indications  of  big  storm.  Arranged 
my  three  wagons  in  half  circle  on  north  side;  cleared 
sage  brush  to  give  room  for  good  camp,  and  so  brush 
could  not  take  fire  and  burn  wagons;  tied  mules  inside 
the  semi-circle  and  fed  them  well  on  oats;  stretched 
the  outside  wagon  cover  of  each  wagon  to  keep  off  most 
of  the  snow;  built  fires  of  big  sage  brush  on  the  south 
and  kept  them  burning  all  night;  guard  instructed  to 
knock  snow  off  wagon  cover  shelter  occasionally.     North 


344  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

wind  blows  fire  away  from  camp,  so  that  there  is  no 
danger. 

31st.  Stopped  snowing  at  daylight.  Off  at  sunrise; 
snow  drifted  about  the  wagons  and  shoveling  necessary 
to  get  out.  Five  miles  to  Warm  Springs,  five  more  to 
junction  of  Rocky  Ridge  road  and  Semino's  Cutoff, 
twelve  more  to  the  fifth  crossing  of  -  Sweet  Water. 
Turned  loose  an  hour.  Three  miles  farther  and  met 
Train  No.  34.  Took  from  it  twelve  sacks  of  oats.  This 
train  left  Nebraska  City  on  the  7th  of  September;  beats 
any  traveling  that  has  been  done  on  this  road  by  ox 
trains.  While  down  on  one  knee  writing  receipt  for 
oats,  I  looked  up  and  saw  my  victim  of  the  scalp  wound 
leaning  on  his  rifle,  as  I  had  first  seen  him,  and  look- 
ing at  me.  At  one  side  I  noticed  all  the  wagonmasters 
watching  him.  I  asked  the  man  what  he  wanted,  to 
which  he  replied  that  he  wanted  me  to  certify  to  the 
time  he  worked,  so  that  he  could  get  paid  when  he  got 
over  into  the  valley.  I  told  him  that  I  never  paid  men 
for  deserting  me.  The  wagonmaster  said  that  he  joined 
back  at  the  trading  house  where  he  left  me,  and  asked 
about  him.  I  advised  not  to  trust  him,  that  he  was 
thoroughly  bad.  The  poor  fellow  looked  sick  and  moved 
off  languidly.  I  felt  sorry  for  him,  and  though  con- 
vinced that  I  was  sparing  the  life  of  a  viper,  could  not 
find  it  in  my  heart  to  kill  the  poor  wretch.  "He  will 
meet  you  some  day,  and  you  will  be  sorry  for  sparing 
him,"  was  the  general  opinion. 

November  1st.  Off  at  sunrise.  Half  a  mile  and 
found  two  mail  carriers  camped  by  the  road  and  three 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  345 

mules  near  by.  These  men  lay  asleep  side  by  side,  and 
fine  snow  had  drifted  over  them.  I  told  Talmadge  they 
must  be  dead,  and  dismounting,  raised  the  blanket  from 
the  face  of  each  before  they  awoke;  each  sat  upright 
at  the  same  time,  pistol  in  hand,  "dazed  but  dangerous," 
Talmadge  said.  Self-preservation,  active  and  prompt 
defense,  was  the  first  thing  thought  of.  And  they  acted 
in  concert,  as  one  man,  even  before  their  eyes  were  open. 
With  their  mail  sacks  for  pillows,  these  men  had  lain 
down  at  midnight.  Their  poor  mules  were  hunting  sub- 
sistence in  a  small  willow  thicket  in  a  nearby  canon. 
The  men  say  they  had  to  leave  the  mail  conveyance  at 
Devil's  Gate  station  on  account  of  deep  snow.  Made 
two  drives  and  camped  at  4  o'clock.  Snow  ten  inches 
deep  on  the  level  and  more  in  drifts.  Day  fine  but 
very  cold.  Under  a  steep  bluff  fifteen  feet  high,  which 
broke  off  the  keen,  cold  wind,  snow  more  than  a  foot 
deep  was  shoveled  away,  the  tents  pitched  and  snow 
banked  around  them.  Good  fires,  from  parts  of  wagons 
picked  up  during  the  day,  and  a  warm  supper  maae  all 
very  comfortable.  The  wagons  placed  in  a  half  circle, 
the  snow  shoveled  back  from  them,  and  mules  standing 
in  the  circle,  well  fed  with  oats  and  small  handful  of 
hay  each,  with  outside  wagon  covers  stretched,  as  de- 
scribed at  Sage  Brush  Creek,  and  the  effect  of  fires,  gave 
verv  good  protection.  There  was  no  real  suffering  for 
men  or  animals.  A  good  deal  of  labor  making  this 
camp,  and  some  time  consumed,  but  a  good  night's 
sleep  for  all  hands  paid  well  for  the  trouble. 


346  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

2d.     Off  at  8.     Bright  sun,  and  sun  dogs  indicate 
cold,  and  though  we  have  no  thermometer,  I  am  sure  I 
never  felt  a  colder  morning.     Mail  station  seven  miles 
off.     After  riding  four  or  five  miles,  Talmadge  and  I 
dismounted  to  walk.     There  had  been  nothing  over  the 
road  since  the  snow  fell  except  the  two  mail  carriers 
and  their  three  mules.     Even  their  tracks  were  drifted 
over  and  we  found  it,  as  Talmadge  said,  "beastly  exercise" 
trying  to  walk,  and  stopped  to  rest.     We  were  clothed 
from  bear-skin  can  to  buffalo  shoes  and  buffalo  mittens, 
from  underclothes  to  overcoats  and  leggings,  with  the 
best  to  be  had,    nd  did  not  suffer  except  about  the  nose 
and  face,  which  we  were  constantlv  protecting  with  one 
hand.    Looking  back  at  the  wagons  and  mounted  wa^on- 
masters,  I  knew  that  none  were  clothed  as  I  was,  and 
I  saw  that  Mr.  Daniels  was  riding1  as  he  had  started, 
ahead  of  the  first  team;  did  not  see  how  he  could  stand 
it.     When  he  came  up  I  asked  if  he  was  not  cold,  and 
why  he  did  not  change  with  some  one  for  a  while.     He 
replied  that  he  could  not  get  off  his  saddle,  and  had  been 
hoping  to  reach  the  station,  which  was  in  sight.     I  told 
him  the  station  must  be  two  miles  away,  and  to  get  down. 
He  tried  to,  but  had  lost  the  use  of  his  limbs,  and  I  took 
him  down  against  his  protest  that  I  was  hurting  him.     In 
short,  I  caused  all  the  mounted  men  to  get  inside  of  the 
wagons  and  give  their  mules  to  others.     Having  hurried- 
ly made  arrangements,  we  started  and  made  the  best  time 
possible  to  the  mail  station.     It  was  a  stockade  of  two 
rooms,  one  with  a  good  fire  and  the  other  without  a  fire; 
adjoining  was  a  small   stable   for  mules.     Leaving  the 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  347 

teams  standing  on  the  south  side  of  the  buildings,  al) 
hands  came  into  the  house  and  examinations  commenced. 
Nine  men  were  more  or  less  frost-bitten,  but  none  seri- 
ously except  Mr.  Daniels.  I  split  his  boots  from  top  to 
toe;  both  heels  and  all  of  his  toes  were  more  or  less  froz- 
en. During  the  next  hour  his  suffering  was  intense. 
Others  had  frosted  toes,  fingers  or  ears — some  slight, 
others  ^uite  severe.  The  men  were  kept  from  the  fire, 
and  snow  and  cold  water  used  at  first,  and  then  turpen- 
tine. I  had  a  little,  but  the  station  keeper  gave  me  the 
use  of  his  big  bottle  so  that  I  could  save  mine  for  future 
use.  This  station  keeper  stayed  here  alone,  ready  to 
feed  the  mail  carriers  and  care  for  the  mules  between 
changes.  He  was  a  young  man,  intelligent  and  resource- 
ful— a  manly  man — and  I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot  recall 
his  name.  He  gave  all  of  us  a  good  cup  of  coffee,  and 
having  made  the  unfortunates  as  comfortable  as  possible, 
we  pulled  out  after  a  delay  of  more  than  two  hours,  dur- 
ing which  our  mules  had  been  covered.  We  could  not 
stay  there  on  the  bleak  plain,  and  must  hunt  a  sheltered 
camp.  Every  day  we  heard  of  men  being  frozen;  nearly 
every  station  had  one  or  more  sufferers.  I  was  in  the 
habit  of  condemning  men  in  charge  of  others  for  permit- 
ting them  to  freeze  instead  of  compelling  them  to  take 
care  of  themselves.  I  was  nearly  caught  this  time. 
Crossed  Devil's  Gate  bridge;  very  little  snow  below  it. 
Fourteen  miles  and  camped  on  Grease  Wood.  Mules 
turned  loose  amongst  grease  wood  until  dark,  and  then 
tied  up  and  fed.  Same  arrangements  as  last  night  for 
comfort.     Camp  well  sheltered  and  fuel  piled  up  for 


348  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

night.  Broken-down  wagon  timbers  plentiful.  All  the 
invalids  in  my  tent  before  a  fine  fire.  All  were  able  to 
do  something  for  themselves.  Even  Daniels  did  not  com- 
plain ;  he  had  the  use  of  most  of  his  fingers,  and  with  his 
superb  courage  and  nerve  made  the  most  of  it.  All  seem- 
ed thankful  that  I  happened  to  stop  and  think  of  them, 
and  they  never  seemed  to  forget  it.  Talmadge,  with  his 
cheerful  intelligence,  was  a  great  help;  his  companion- 
ship was  charming.  He  was  as  brainy  as  he  was  kind — 
the  son  of  the  first  governor  of  Wisconsin,  and  always  my 
warm  friend  after  this  trip.  He  died  at  Old  Point  Com- 
fort, a  captain,  in  1862. 

3d.  Somewhat  warmer.  Off  early;  snowing  a  little. 
Forty-four  miles  in  three  drives,  and  camped  on  North 
Platte  at  sunset.  Got  supper  and  carefully  examined  all 
the  frost-bitten  victims.  They  had  been  made  as  com- 
fortable as  possible  in  the  wagons,  had  stood  the  ride  very 
well,  and  were  pleased  that  they  would  so  soon  reach  a 
doctor.  Talmadge  and  I  left  camp  at  9  o'clock  and  rode 
to  Fort  Payne,  six  miles,  where  we  arrived  at  10,  and 
stopped  at  Mr.  Clark's  sutler's  store.  It  was  the  coldest 
ride  I  ever  made.  Our  animals  were  cared  for,  and  the 
usual  reviver,  hot  whiskey  toddies,  applied  to  us.  I  had 
not  then  learned  that  hot  water  was  far  better.  Captain 
Getty,  Captain  Roberts  and  other  officers  came  to  the 
sutler's  store.  We  listened  to  the  news  from  the  East 
and  they  from  the  West  until  midnight,  and  slept  at  the 
sutler's,  who  was  prepared  to  accommodate  us.  Tal- 
madge is  at  home,  this  being  the  end  of  his  journey,  and 
he  will  find  quarters  to-morrow, 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  349 

4th.  Breakfast  with.  Mr.  Clark.  No  doctor  here. 
Got  some  medicine  from  acting  hospital  steward.  Train 
came  in  at  10.  Lieutenant  Howard  stopped  here;  un- 
loaded his  and  Talmadge's  goods.  Fed  all  hay  mules 
wanted,  and  made  hospital  wagon  of  the  spring  wagon  in 
which  Howard  has  ridden  all  the  way.  Drew  forage  to 
last  to  Laramie,  said  "Good-by,"  and  started  at  2.  Eight 
miles  and  camped  on  North  Platte.  Fine  day,  but  cola. 
My  tent  a  hospital;  took  in  all  invalids  wno  needed  doc- 
toring from  that  time  to  end  of  journey. 

5th.  Twenty-seven  miles  in  two  drives,  and  camped 
on  Box  Alder.  Invalids  improving  and  being  well  waited 
upon  by  comrades. 

6th.  Twenty-eight  miles  to  La  Bonte,  and  camped. 
In  this  vicinity  hundreds  of  mules  froze  to  death  a  year 
ago. 

7th.  Thirty  miles  in  two  drives.  Killed  two  moun- 
tain hens.     Camped   on   Cottonwood. 

8th.  Off  before  davlight  and  arrived  at  Laramie  at 
11.  Got  mail  from  Mr.  Fitzhugh.  Train  arrived  at  3. 
Took  on  rations  and  forage  for  twelve  days.  I  am  re- 
ceiving congratulations  from  Major  Babbitt  and  other 
officers  for  my  (as  they  call  it)  "wonderful  trip."  Crossed 
Laramie  and  camped — plenty  of  hay.  Dr.  Swift  ex- 
amined frost-bitten  men.  I  advised  Daniels  to  go  in  the 
hospital  and  stop  here,  but  he  strenuously  objected,  and 
the  doctor  said  that  inasmuch  as  he  has  no  duties  to  per- 
form and  had  good  care,  he  would  be  as  well  off  traveling, 
perhaps  better.  i 

94;h.     Changed   four   mules,    said   "Good   by,"    and 


350  FIyE  ±E£RS  A  DRAGOON. 

started  at  2.  Fourteen  miles  and  camped  on  North  Platte. 

12th.  Camped  at  junction  of  Lawrence  Fork  and 
North  Platte. 

13th.  Off  at  4  o'clock.  Of  course  the  mules  must 
he  tied  to  wagons  at  night,  and  towards  morning  they  get 
chilled  badly  and  suffer.  I  am  traveling  to  make  time 
and  keep  up  the  strength  of  teams  as  much  as  possible. 
Men  can  find  plenty  of  time  to  rest;  there  are  so  many  of 
as  that  it  is  no  trouble  to  hitch  and  unhitch  often.  Thir- 
ty miles  in  two  drives,  and  camped  on  North  Platte. 

14th.  Off  at  4.  Twenty-eight  miles,  and  crossed 
South  Platte;  river  low  but  good  deal  of  ice.  Three 
miles  more   and   camped. 

15th.  Off  at  sunrise.  Thirty  miles  in  two  drives 
and  camped.     Killed  prairie  chicken. 

16th.  Off  at  4.  Thirty-five  miles  in  three  drives 
and  camped  on  Platte.     Killed  one  pheasant. 

17th.     Off  at  4.     Two  drives  and  camped  on  Platte. 

18th.  Off  at  6.  Thirty-five  miles  and  camped  nine 
miles  below  mouth  of  Plum  Creek. 

19th.  Twenty-two  miles  and  camped  at  Fort  Kear- 
ney. Drew  rations  for  my  party  to  last  to  Leavenworth. 
Drew  forage  for  seven  days  and  took  an  order  for  more 
at  Big  Blue.  Changed  three  mules,  and  got  three  shod, 
and  made  ready  to  move  in  the  morning.  Daniels  and 
two  others  had  their  sores  dressed  at  hospital.  Dr.  Sum- 
mers kind  as  usual.  He  informed  me  that  all  the  men  I 
left  sick  recovered  and  returned  to  Leavenworth. 

20th.  Off  at  4.  Three  drives  and  camped  on  Thir- 
ty-two Mile  Creek. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  351 

21st.     Made  two  drives  and  camped  on  Little  Blue. 

22d.  Twenty-eight  miles  in  two  drives  and  camped 
on  Little  Blue. 

23d.  Off  at  5.  Thirty-two  miles  in  two  drives  to 
camp  on  Oak  Creek. 

24th.  Off  at  4.  Thirty-four  miles  to  Marysville 
and  camped  on  east  side.  A  party  of  artillery  officers 
from  Laramie,  Captain  Brown,  Lieutenants  Mendenhall, 
Lee,  Soloman  and  Abert,  en  route  to  Leavenworth,  camp- 
ed here.  Left  Laramie  two  days  ahead  of  me.  Philip 
Sawyer  and  E.  L.  Quintin,  left  sick  here  last  August  in 
care  of  Dr.  Miller,  died.  Promised  to  loan  Lieutenant 
Mendenhall  one  of  the  wagonmaster's  mules  to  ride  with 
me,  and  we  will  try  to  ride  to  Fort  Leavenworth  in  two 
days,  150  miles. 

25th.  At  4  o'clock  sent  riding  mule  to  Mendenhall, 
who. breakfasted  with,  me,  and  we  were  off  at  5.  Wagon- 
masters  and  teamsters  will  follow  and  be  at  the  fort  in 
five  or  six  days.  Gave  Wagonmaster  Wilson  money  to 
buy  hay,  and  with  plenty  of  corn,  they  do  not  have  to 
hurry.  We  have  passed  all  danger  of  freezing  up  for 
want  of  forage.  Roads  freezing  and  thawing  and  will  be 
bad]  Mendenhall  and  I  made  severjty-five  miles  the 
first  day,  but  it  was  terrible  on  him;  not  being  used  to 
riding,  he  became  blistered  and  sore.  A  tub  of  hot  water 
helped  .  him  some.  I  offered  to  wait  until  my  wagons 
came  up,  and  let  him  ride  in  the  spring  wagon,  but  he  de- 
clared he  could  ride  and  would  keep  up  with  me. 

26th.  Rain  and  sleet  fell  all  day,  and  it  was  dark 
when  we  reached  Mount  Pleasant,  fifteen  miles  from  the 

23- 


352  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

fort.  And  we  ©topped  at  the  little  hotel.  MendenhaH's 
principal  stock  in  trade  was  sores  and  pluck — plenty  of 
both.  We  made  arrangements  to  have  our  mules  ready 
by  5  in  the  morning,  so  we  could  ride  to  the  fort  for 
breakfast,  which  we  did,  arriving  at  8  o'clock.  Menden- 
hall  stopped  with  Foragemaster  Mix,  and  I  with  my 
friend  Levi  Wilson.  Mendenhall  married  Miss  Sophie 
Mix  that  evening,  in  the  privacy  of  the  family,  and  I  re- 
ceived announcement  card  the  next  day.  My  reception 
with  all  the  quartermaster's  department,  from  old  Colonel 
Tompkins,  deputy  quartermaster  general  down,  was  ex- 
tremely pleasant;  but  relieved  from  care  I  began  to  real- 
ize what  a  strain  I  had  been  under  for  four  months.  I 
had  made  the  round  trip  of  2800  miles  in  117  days.  Four- 
teen hundred  miles  going  out  in  seventy  days,  equal  to 
twenty  miles  per  day  with  loaded  teams;  six  days  at  Camp 
Floyd,  and  returned  1400  miles  in  forty-two  days,  equal 
to  thirty-three  and  one-third  miles  per  day — all  the  way 
from  Camp  Floyd  through  winter  weather. 

My  egotism  prompts  me  to  make  the  claim  that  for 
distance  traveled,  loads  hauled,  scarcity  of  feed,  inclem- 
ency of  weather,  time  consumed  in  traveling,  number  of 
wagons  and  mules  employed,  smallness  of  losses,  to  say 
nothing  of  suffering  and  sickness  among  men,  this  trip 
has  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  the  plains.  That  was 
conceded  at  the  time  by  my  friends;  and  old  Mr.  Majors 
at  one  time,  and  William  H.  Eussell  at  another,  declared 
to  me  that  "'twas  a  most  wonderful  trip;"  and  two  years 
later  when  I  was  freighting  for  myself,  Mr.  Waddel  said 
to  me:     "If  you  manage  for  yourself  as  well  as  you  did 


FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


353 


for  Uncle  Sam,  you  will  be  a  great  success."  And  I 
want  to  say  that  in  all  of  my  experience,  with  the  excep- 
tions mentioned,  I  never  saw  as  little  friction  among  men 
as  there  was  in  those  constantly  hard  worked,  over- 
worked trains.  I  doubt  if  such  men  could  be  mustered 
and  held  together  to-day. 


PART   IX. 

HAVING  passed  the  winter  as  usual,  looking  after 
the  Government  herds  in  Platte  County,  Mo.,  I 
took  my  place  under  Mr.  Wilson  in  charge  of 
transportation  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 'but  there  was  little 
to  do — no  Indian  excitement,  no  movement  of  troops, 
and  compared  to  previous  years,  there  was  much  leisure. 
I  became  restless  and  conceived  an  ambition  to  do  some- 
thing for  myself,  and  the  sooner  I  severed  my  connection 
with  the  Army  and  ceased  to  depend  upon  it,  the  better. 

I  was  past  thirty  years  old  and  the  last  nine  and 
a  half  years  of  my  life  had  been  wholly  devoted  to  the 
Army  in  some  capacity,  and  I  realized  how  hard  it 
would  be  for  me  to  form  business  habits  necessary  to 
success  in  civil  life. 

I  made  the  acquaintance  in  Leavenworth  of  George 
W.  Clayton,  a  young  Philadelphian,  who  was  in  the 
mercantile  line,  and  he  proposed  to  form  a  co-partner- 
ship with  me  and  "Jerry"  Kershow,  another  young 
Philadelphian,  who  was  doing  a  brokerage  business,  to 
make  the  firm  Clayton,  Lowe  &  Company,  with  a  capital 
of  $10,000,  each  one  furnishing  one-third  of  the  capital. 
I  to  put  my  third  in  transportation,  Clayton  his  third 
in  goods,  suitable  to  the  mining  trade  in  Denver,  and 
Kershow  his  third  in  money.  This  co-partnership  we 
entered  into.     I  fitted  out  a  nice  train  of  six  four-mule 

354 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  355 

teams,  loaded  the  goods  that  Clayton  furnished  with 
his  and  Kershow's  money,  and  on  the  2d  of  July,  1859, 
left  Leavenworth  for  Denver.  Clayton  went  out  on  the 
Overland  (Pike's  Peak)  Coach  and  when  I  arrived  there 
the  1st  of  August,  found  him  in  a  rented  store  room 
built  of  logs  and  adobe,  by  Morton  Fisher,  on  Blake 
Street,  east  of  loth— then  called  "F." 

All  the  way  out  I  had  met  swarms  of  "pilgrims" 
returning  to  the  Missouri  Eiver  in  every  stage  of  want 
and  wretchedness,  firm  in  the  belief  that  there  was  no 
gold  in  the  mountains — that  it  was  all  a  myth. 

During  the  spring  these  people  rushed  out  on  to  the 
plains,  with  no  assurance  of  the  future,  some  with  good 
teams  and  outfits,  some  with  patched-up  concerns,  of 
little  value,  some  with  pack  mules,  ponies  or  horses,  some 
with  hand  carts,  some  with  wheelbarrows,  and  hundreds 
with  all  their  possessions  on  their  backs,  to  travel  700 
miles  to  the  mountains.  Most  of  the  latter  class,  who 
did  not  die  of  starvation  and  exposure,  returned  and 
were  the  first  that  we  met.  A  few  wheelbarrows  and 
hand-carts  did  get  through  —  twenty  years  later,  a 
friend  up  in  Central  Park  pointed  with  pride  to  his 
wheelbarrow,  but  I  may  safely  say  that  nine-tenths  of 
all  who  started  to  the  Pike's  Peak  Eldorado  returned 
emptv-handed,  and  in  more  or  less  distress. 

In  Denver  we  found  several  adobe  stores  full  of 
miners'  goods  and  tools,  and  one  train  load  was  hesitat- 
ing whether  or  not  to  return  the  goods  from  whence 
they  came.  Clayton  had  been  advised  not  to  unload — 
it  was  no  use — there  was  no  money  to  buy  them,  they 


356  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

said.  I  dumped"  the  goods  into  the  store,  sent  the 
train  to  camp,  mounted  a  mule  and  rode  to  the  "dig- 
gins" — Gregory,  Nevada  Gulch,  Central  City,  etc.  I 
spent  two  days  informing  myself.  The  prospect  was 
not  good  but  there  was  more  or  less  gold,  and  some  men 
much  encouraged.  On  the  morning  of  my  third  day  at 
the  mines  great  excitement  was  caused  by  the  report 
that  rich  diggings  had  been  dkcovered  at  "Tarry  All" 
and  "California  Gulch."  The  report  was  undoubtedly 
true,  for  men  who  brought  the  news  had  returned  to 
Gregory  for  tools  and  partners.  I  put  my  mule  through 
forty  miles  to  Denver  by  dark  and  found  Clayton  and 
a  friend,  Dan  Smith,  and  a  hired  man  opening  goods 
which  were  in  demand;  all  night  we  worked,  and  for  a 
month  worked  early  and  late  selling  goods.  Denver, 
with  its  periodical  ups  and  downs,  continued  to  prosper. 
In  the  meantime  I  set  the  train  crew  to  putting  up  hay, 
which  paid  very  well.  Clayton  took  the  coach  for  the 
the  East  to  buy  goods;  I  sent  the  train  to  Leavenworth 
to  haul  them  out,  attended  to  the  Denver  business  and 
built  the  first  frame  store  in  Denver  at  the  corner  of 
Fifteenth  and  Larimer  streets.  I  bought  the  two  lots 
from  General  Wm.  H.  H.  Larimer,  his  homestead  and 
cabin,  for  $400. 

After  seeing  the  train  started  from  Leavenworth, 
Clayton  returned  on  the  coach  and  was  much  pleased 
with  the  new  store  which  I  had  moved  into.  Our  goods 
arrived  in  good  shape  and  sold  well. 

I  sold  the  train  to  J.  W.  Iliff,  and  in  January,  Clay- 
ton and  I  went  east  by  stage,  leaving  the  store  with  Mr. 


FlYti  YEA&S  A  D&AGOON.  357 

Kershaw.  Clayton  bought  goods  and  I  fitted  out  five 
ox-teams  and  six  mule-teams;  both  trains  leaving  Atch- 
ison the  middle  of  March.  William  M.  Clayton,  brother 
of  George  W.,  accompanied  me  with  the  mule  train,  with 
which  we  went  through  in  twenty-four  days,  while  the 
ox-train  was  forty-eight  days  en  route.  The  goods  were 
in  demand  and  sold  rapidly.  We  had  them  on  the  mar- 
ket ahead  of  any  others  for  that  spring. 

I  sold  the  trains  and  "Wash"  and  I  left  the  rem- 
nant of  goods  with  William  M.  Clayton  and  went  east 
— he  to  buy  more  goods,  and  I  to  fit  out  transportation. 

Clayton  bought  a  large  stock  of  goods,  which  I 
loaded  as  they  arrived  at  Leavenworth  and  started  them 
out  in  three  small  trains — thirty-six  ox- teams  in  all,  five 
yoke  to  each  team,  following  myself  with  a  young  lawyer 
from  Atchison  named  E.  P.  Lewis,  with  a  pair  of  mules 
to  my  Concord  buggy,  our  blankets  strapped  on  behind 
and  well  armed;  we  carried  a  lunch  and  coffee  pot,  but 
took  meals  with  a  train  whenever  convenient,  as  we 
overtook  them.  Twenty-two  days  from  Leavenworth  to 
Denver  and  ~lept  in  the  open  on  our  blankets  behind 
the  buggy  every  night  —  rain  the  day  before  we  left 
Leavenworth  and  day  after  we  arrived  in  Denver,  but 
no  rain  between. 

I  became  very  much  attached  to  Lewis — he  was 
bright,  genial,  companionable  and  kind.  After  a  year 
or  two  in  Denver  he  went  to  Montana,  and  after  a  brief 
stiuggle  with  adversity,  committed  suicide  by  shooting. 
That  such  a  lovable  man  could  have  come  to  such  an 
end  was  shocking. 


3o8  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

An  incident  of  this  trip  should  be  related  as  proof 
that  man's  humanity  to  man  will  sometimes  return  to 
bother  him.  One  night  Lewis  and  I  drove  late,  expect- 
ing to  overtake  one  of  the  trains,  but  failing,  camped 
by  the  roadside,  picketed  the  mules  and  slept  until  sun- 
rise, when  we  found  ourselves  a  few  miles  west  of  Cot- 
tonwood Springs  and  half  a  mile  north  of  "Jack"  Mor- 
row's ranch.  Changing  the  picket  pins  to  give  the  mules 
fresh  grass,  taking  a  good  look  up  and  down  the  road 
and  seeing  no  one  in  sight,  we  walked  up  to  the  ranch 
to  get  breakfast.  Morrow,  the  whole-souled,  good  fellow, 
greeted  us  cheerfully  and  ordered  breakfast.  Furnish- 
ing meals  was  a  part  of  his  business  and  he  had  a  good 
"prairie"  cook.  I  stood  talking  with  him  about  his  new 
stockade  corral  across  the  road,  when  the  gate  opened 
and  a  man  came  towards  us.  I  quickly  slipped  my  pistoL 
to  the  front,  cocked  and  kept  my  hand  on  it.  The  man 
stopped,  stared  at  me,  and  then  passed  on  through  a 
door  and  out  of  sight.  Morrow  noticed  the  movements 
of  both,  reached  under  the  counter  for  his  pistol  and 
asked  me  for  ui  explanation.  I  told  the  man's  name, 
why  I  knocked  him  in  the  head,  etc.  He  was  wearing 
the  same  pistol,  but  with  a  clean  hickory  shirt,  looked 
much  better  than  when  with  me.  He  was  traveling 
under  a  different  name.  This  was  my  third  chance  to 
have  justified  myself  in  killing  him,  but  he.  made  no 
move  towards  his  pistol — wouldn't  have  had  any  show 
if  he  did — and  I  could  not  commit  murder.  Morrow 
said  that  he  had  a  terrible  scalp  wound  that  did  not 
seem  to  be  entirely  well,  though  it  was  made  nearly  two 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  359 

years  before.  He  wanted  to  work  and  was  hired  the  day 
before.  I  never  saw  him  again.  He  was  supposed  to 
have  gone  with  a  team  for  timber  in  the  cedar  bluffs 
near  bv.  The  reader  will  recognize  this  as  the  man 
who  attacked  me  on  Sweet  Water  in  1858.  Having  fin- 
ished our  breakfast,  Lewis  and  I  returned  to  the  buggy 
and  drove  on. 

In  December,  1860,  Clayton  &  Lowe  dissolved  part- 
nership, Lowe  selling  his  interest  to  the  Claytons,  tak- 
ing in  part  payment  a  ranch  and  company  cattle  on  Box 
Elder,  twenty-eight  miles  east  of  Denver.  We  parted 
as  we  had  always  lived,  the  best  of  friends — a  friendship 
that  was  never  broken. 

My  object  in  leaving  the  firm  was  to  go  into  freight- 
ing on  my  own  account,  and  so  I  severed  my  business 
connection  with  clear-headed,  generous  George  W.  and 
Win.  M.  Clayton,  both  of  whom  accumulated  great 
wealth,  left  an  untarnished  name,  and  died  all  too  soon, 
universally  respected  in  business  and  social  circles. 

Eeturning  to  Leavenworth  by  coach  in  January, 
1861,  six  passengers  were  eight  days  and  nights  en  route 
on  account  of  deep  snow  from  Fort  Kearney  east.  Thir- 
ty miles  east  of  Kearney,  we  were  most  of  one  night 
lost  in  snowdrifts.  I  got  out  and  hunted  the  road  for 
hours,  and  finally  found  the  stage  station  at  Thirty- two- 
mile  Creek.  It  was  the  hardest  night  I  ever  experienced. 
"Jo"  Chaffe,  afterwards  United  States  senator,  was  a 
passenger.  I  found  a  herd  of  mules  in  the  hands  of 
the  trustees  of  the  bankrupt  firm  of  Eussell,  Majors  & 
Waddell,  the  great  Government  transporters,  and  bought 


360  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

them — $10,000  worth  on  six  months'  time  without  in- 
terest. I  bought  wagons,  harness  and  other  outfit,  let 
it  be  known  that  I  would  start  the  middle  of  March  with 
fast  freight,  and  merchants  furnished  all  the  loading 
that  I  wanted,  at  from  12  to  15  cents  a  pound  to  Denver. 
1  may  truthfully  say  that  my  reputation  as  a  successful 
freighter  brought  me  the  business.  I  left  Leavenworth 
on  St.  Patrick's  day,  1861,  and  went  through  to  Denver 
in  twenty-four  days,  with  thirteen  eight-mule  teams,  and 
cleared  $5,000  in  gold. 

I  found  that  the  Arapahoe  Indians  had  raided  the 
ranches  along  Box  Elder,  mine  amongst  them,  burned 
my  house,  and  killed  a  family  on  the  adjoining  ranch. 
The  man  in  charge  of  my  cattle,  Wm.  Eiecke,  heard  of 
their  coming  and  ran  the  cattle  to  Denver,  and  when  I 
came  in  I  found  them  near  Glolden  City,  safe.  The 
Indians  had  left  the  country  and  the  cattle  were  driven 
back  and  the  house  rebuilt. 

Mr.  Hugh  Kirkendall  was  my  wagonmaster  and  a 
good  one,  and  I  sent  him  to  Leavenworth  with  the  train 
loaded  with  dry  hides,  which  occupied  him  thirty  days, 
while  I  returned  on  the  coach  in  six  days. 

And  now  the  great  Civil  War  was  on  and  all  along 
the  border  the  animosities  that  had  slumbered  since 
'56  were  again  in  full  force — the  line  was  sharply  drawn 
between  Union  and  Confederate.  In  Kansas  it  was  all 
Union;  in  Missouri,  very  much  mixed,  and  the  peace 
and  friendship  of  neighborhoods  threatened.  My  "best 
girl"  lived  on  the  line  of  Platte  and  Clay  counties,  and 
I  persuaded  myself  and  the  girl,  and  her  parents  too, 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  361 

that  it  was  best  to  get  her  away  from  such  surround- 
ings, and  I  urged  the  consummation  of  what  we  hoped 
might  be  brought  about  in  the  near  future,  so  that  on 
the  4th  of  June,  1861,  I  married  Miss  Margaret  E. 
Gartin,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Gartin,  Esq.,  of  Clay 
County,  one  of  the  leading  men  of  upper  Missouri,  and 
one  of  the  best  families  in  the  State.  I  fitted  up  a 
Dougherty  ambulanche,  got  a  good  campaign  cook,  and 
every  convenience  for  the  trip.  The  train  came  in  and 
I  had  plenty  of  loading  at  10  cents  a  pound,  which,  when 
grass  alone  was  required  for  forage,  was  equal  to  12 
cents  in  March,  when  corn  must  be  fed.  The  trip  to 
Denver  was  uneventful,  I  had  prepared  a  nice  home 
in  Denver  and  we  moved  into  our  own  house.  Besides 
extraordinary  expenses,  this  trip  cleared  me  $3,000. 

On  the  Box  Elder  Ranch  I  intended  to  winter  the 
mules  after  making  another  trip,  and  my  brother,  P.  C. 
S.  Lowe,  in  charge  of  it,  put  up  plenty  of  hay  for  that 
purpose.  The  train  was  standing  on  "F"  Street,  ready 
to  pull  out  for  the  States,  when  Governor  Gilpin  offered 
me,  through  my  friend  G.  W.  Clayton,  the  lieutenant- 
colonelcy  of  the  2d  Colorado.  Thanking  him,  I  ex- 
plained that  I  had  just  started  in  a  money-making  bus- 
iness and  could  not  afford  to  abandon  it  for  the  sake 
of  showing  myself  in  glittering  uniform  for  a  few  days 
— that  I  did  not  think  the  war  would  last  long,  etc.  He 
disagreed  with  me,  and  his  words  then  spoken  wert 
prophetic,  showing  an  amount  of  forethought  and  wis- 
dom that  has  ever  since  commanded  my  admiration.  I. 
never  met  a  clearer-headed  man.    The  train  returned  to 


362  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Leavenworth  under  Kirkendall,  and  I  returned  by  coach 
in  time  to  meet  it.  For  safety  I  camped  on  the  mili- 
tary reservation  for  a  couple  of  weeks.  Organized  gangs 
of  horse  and  mule  thieves  overran  the  country — nine 
fine  horses  were  taken  from  stables  in  Leavenworth  one 
morning.  Under  the  name  of  scouts  they  committed 
all  manner  of  crimes.  My  friends  advised  me  that  things 
would  settle  down  and  become  safer  soon,  but  the  sea- 
son was  getting  late  and  merchants  did  not  like  to  trust 
goods  with  mule  teams  liable  to  be  run  off  at  any  time 
— ox  teams  were  safer.  A  friend  of  mine,  "Cliff"  Barnes, 
of  Independence,  Missouri,  had  twelve  six-mule  teams 
run  off.  With  the  United  States  Marshal  he  overtook 
them  below  Lawrence,  but  it  cost  him  half  their  value 
to  get  them  back. 

I  had  married  into  a  slave-holding  family,  and  that 
alone  was  an  excuse  for  so-called  "scouts"  and  "red  legs" 
to  raid  my  train  if  they  dared.  For  a  week  I  stayed  all 
night  with  my  train,  with  the  wagonmaster  and  others, 
expecting  a  raid,  which  did  not  come.  Every  morning 
I  returned  to  the  Planters7  House  and  slept  and  in  the 
evening  rode  back  to  the  train.  One  morning  I  met  on 
the  Planters'  House  steps  a  man  who  came  to  me  in 
1855  at  Fort  Eiley.  He  was  then  a  mere  youth.  He 
had  traveled  with  me  from  Utah  in  1858.  I  had  heard 
that  he  belonged  to  an  organized  gang  of  marauders, 
and  determined  to  sound  him  I  invited  him  to  break- 
fast, and  after  breakfast  to  my  room,  where  we  spent 
two  hours.  He  was  a  smart  young  fellow,  capable  of 
much  good  or  bad  and  gave  to  me  a  list  of  thirty-two 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  353 

of  the  gang  lie  was  associating  with,  claiming  that  they 
were  honest  patriotic  scouts  and  assured  me  that  none 
of  them  would  bother  my  train.  This  man  did  no  more 
work  with  his  party  after  our  meeting,  hut  most  of  the 
party  turned  out  to  Be  the  most  consummate  robbers 
on  the  border.  My  friend  soon  went  east  and  occupied 
a  lucrative  position  in  and  about  Washington  in  trans- 
portation during  the  war. 

One  day  a  gentleman  whom  I  had  never  before  met 
called  on  me.  He  was  a  militia  officer,  and  after  in- 
troducing himself  stated  that  he  had  been  instructed  by 
the  "Committee  of  Safety"  to  inform  me  that  I  must 
not  move  my  train  over  into  Missouri.  Of  course  I  was 
surprised  and  demanded  by  what  course  of  reasoning 
he  or  the  committee  supposed  I  would  do  so.  He  was 
a  thorough  gentleman  and  much  embarrassed  at  the 
position  in  which  he  found  himself.  I  assured  him  that 
I  did  not  blame  him  for  delivering  the  message,  but 
wished  him  to  tell  the  meddlesome  committee  of  safety 
that  I  would  move  my  train  when  and  where  I  pleased, 
and  that  if  I  ever  saw  either  of  those  I  happened  to 
know  about  my  train  I  would  have  them  shot  like  com- 
mon horse  thieves,  and  wound  up  by  saying  that  if  he 
could  think  of  anything  else  mean  enough  he  might  add 
it  to  what  I  had  said.  This  gentleman  and  I  became 
very  warm  friends,  a  friendship  that  lasted  until  he  died 
thirty-seven  years  later. 

Major  Easton,  Quartermaster  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 
advised  me  to  sell  my  mules  to  the  Government  and 
return  to  Government  employment  again,  until  it  was 


364  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

safer  to  do  business,  and  I  sold  to  him,  paid  all  my  debts, 
and  returned  by  coach  to  Denver,  sold  my  ranch  and 
hay  on  Box  Elder  to  the  late  John  K.  Faulkner,  sold 
the  cattle  and  mules  left  there,  disposed  of  household 
effects,  rented  my  house  and  with  my  wife  and  brother, 
returned  to  Leavenworth.  I  owned  a  good  house  there, 
into  which  we  moved  and  had  a  happy  home. 

Again  the  transportation  business  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth was  immense,  and  General  Easton  asked  me  to 
take  hold  and  help,  which' I  did,  fitting  out  trains,  etc. 
I  left  $15,000  in  gold  in  quartermaster's  vaults  at  Fort 
Leavenworth  for  a  year  and  a  half,  for  safety,  until  I 
could  see  my  way  clear  to  use  it  in  business  again. 

In  July,  1862,  came  an  order  for  600  horses  and 
120  six-mule  wagons  to  be  sent  to  Fort  Union,  New 
Mexico,  and  as  I  could  leave  my  wife  with  a  part  of  her 
family  for  company,  I  took  charge  of  this  big  outfit. 

As  soon  as  a  train  of  teams  was  ready  it  moved  to 
Fort  Riley,  a  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  with  orders  for 
the  wagonmaister  to  report  his  train  to  Captain  Scott,  act- 
ing quartermaster,  for  assignment  to  camp  in  that  vicin- 
ity. As  soon  as  a  string  of  horses  was  ready  it  moved  to 
Riley,  the  man  in  charge  also  to  report  to  Captain  Scott 
for  assignment  to  camp.  Five  trains  of  wagons — a  hun- 
dred ana  four  four-mule  and  sixteen  six-mule — one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  teams,  and  a  traveling  forge  hauled  by 
eight  mules,  and  eighteen  strings  of  horses  (six  hundred 
and  fourteen),  including  some  riding  horses,  comprised 
the  outfit.  When  all  were  gone,  I  drove  in  my  four-mule 
government  ambulance  to  Fort  Riley  in  two  days.    Pat 


366  FIVE  YEARS  ^  DRAGOON. 

Devine,  who  had  been  my  driver  to  Denver  the  previous 
year,  drove  for  me  now,  and  fed  me  as  well  as  circum- 
stances would  permit.  If  I  lacked  anything,  it  was  not 
his  fault.  I  slept  in  the  ambulance  every  night  from 
start  to  finish  of  the  trip,  except  two  nights  that  Captain 
Scott  cared  for  me  at  Riley,  one  night  that  Colonel  Leav- 
enworth cared  for  me  at  Fort  Lyon  and  six  nights  that 
my  friend  Captain  William  Van  Vliet  cared  for  me  at 
Fort  Union. 

At  Riley  Captain  Scott  furnished  me  all  the  corn  I 
cared  to  take. 

The  object  in  sending  four-mule  teams  was  to  get  as 
many  wagons  to  New  Mexico  as  possible  with  fewest 
mules;  mules  could  be  bought  there  but  wagons  could  not. 
A  big  six-mule  wagon  is  hard  on  four  mules — jerks  the 
leaders  painfully  and  gives  them  sore  shoulders.  Six 
mules  can  haul  2,500  pounds  with  less  injury  to  them 
than  four  mules  can  haul  the  empty  wagon,  hence  as  a 
supply  train  for  the  horses  the  four-mule  teams  did  not 
amount  to  much.  This  I  did  not  realize  for  some  days, 
as  I  had  never  before  tried  four  mules  on  a  big  wagon. 
We  loaded  about  2,500  to  each  six-mule  team,  1,200  to 
each  four-mule  team,  and  two  sacks  of  112  pounds  each 
to  each  horse-string,  and  the  rule  was  to  keep  two  whole 
sacks  of  corn  in  each  horse-string  wagon  in  case  of  any 
accident  that  might  separate  it  for  a  night  from  the  sup- 
ply train. 

There  was  in  my  instructions  no  limit  to  the  time  I 
should  take  to  reach  Union  or  to  make  the  round  trip, 
but  the  general  understanding  was  that  as  the  season  was 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  3(57 

getting  late,  the  sooner  the  horses  could  be  delivered, 
without  too  much  strain,  the  better  for  them.  They  were 
not  expected  to  gain  flesh  on  the  trip,  and  were  always 
liable  to  accidents.  Horses  naturally  travel  more  freely 
than  mules,  and  hence  the  day's  travel  must,  as  a  rule, 
be  measured  by  the  distance  that  the  mules  were  able  to 
make  without  injury  to  them. 

I  may  here  describe  a  horse-string  and  manner  of 
managing  it.  A  three-inch  thimble  skein  wagon  was 
what  we  used,  with  double  covers  and  wheel  harness  for 
pair  of  horses.  An  inch  and  one-half  or  two-inch  rope 
is  put  through  the  iron  at  the  end  of  the  tongue  and 
spliced.  At  the  other  end  the  rope  is  put  through  an 
iron  ring  and  spliced.  About  eight  feet  apart  from 
tongue  to  iron  ring,  strong  rings  were  seized  onto  the 
rope.  In  motion  a  pair  of  horses  are  hitched  to  the  wag- 
on, with  which  and  the  brake  the  driver  manages  it.  At 
the  end  of  the  rope,  another  pair  of  horses  are  hitched  to 
keep  it  straight.  A  man  rides  the  near  horse  to  manage 
the  pair.  Another  pair  of  horses  in  the  middle  of  the 
string,  each  wearing  a  collar,  hames  and  back-strap  with 
a  chain  hitched  to  the  inside  ring  of  each  hame  crossing 
under  the  rope  to  hold  it  up.  A  man  rides  the  near  horse 
of  this  pair  to  keep  them  steady.  On  either  side  of  the 
rope  a  horse  is  tied  to  lead.  Complete,  the  string  may 
be  made  of  any  number  of  horses,  according  to  its  length ; 
in  my  case,  there  were  about  thirty-two  on  a  string,  in- 
cluding wheelers  and  leaders.  The  foreman  and  another 
rode  horses,  one  on  each  side  of  the  string,  to  be  ready  to 
dismount  and  assist  in  case  of  trouble.     Horses  were  li- 

24- 


368 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


able  to  get  badly  hurt  by  getting  a  leg  over  the  rope,  and 
often  the  string  must  stop  to  shorten  np  if  the  horses 
were  tied  too  long;  so  that  a  string  crew  consisted  of 
foreman,  cook,  driver,  lead-rider,  swing-rider,  and  out- 
rider— six  men  in  all.  The  cook  slept  in  the  wagon  dur- 
ing the  day  and  must  see  that  the  other  men's  attention 
was  not  diverted  from  the  horses  to  get  something  to  eat. 
Each  string  crew  had  its  tent,  mess-kit  and  rations,  five 
water-buckets  and  ten-gallon  water-keg  which  must  be 
kept  full,  a  big  maul,  and  wooden  picket-pins  with  iron 
rings  around  the  top.  Having  arrived  in  camp,  the  first 
thing  to  do  was  to  picket  the  wagon-wheels,  so  that  they 
could  not  be  moved,  then  the  cross- jacks,  about  thirty 
feet  apart,  made  of  one  and  one-half  by  three-inch  hard- 
wood seven  feet  long,  crossed  and  bolted  together  about 
one  foot  from  the  end.  These  were  opened  and  set  under 
the  rope,  as  shown  in  the  cut,  raising  it  about  four  feet 
from  the  ground.  In  these  the  rope  rests  from  the  end 
of  the  tongue  to  the  end  of  the  rope,  which  is  kept  straight 
by  another  rope  which  extends  from  the  end  about  ten 
feet  farther,  and  is  fastened  by  an  iron-bound  wooden 
picket-pin  driven  deep  into  the  ground.  To  the  picket 
line  the  horses  stand  tied  as  they  traveled,  the  halter 
straps  being  tied  long  enough  to  reach  the  ground  to  e#t 
hay  or  corn  comfortably. 

Always  in  camp  the  horses  must  be  untied  and  led  to 
water,  unless  the  watering  nlace  is  bad,  in  which  case  they 
must  be  watered  from  buckets.  During  the  day  they 
must  be  watered  from  buckets,  if  convenient;  but  if  one 
trusts  to  men  to  water  from  buckets  always  some  horses 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  369 

will  suffer  many  times  —  partly  the  man's  fault  and 
partly  because  the  horse  never  drinks  as  well  from  the 
bucket  as  when  free  to  plunge  his  nose  into  the  stream 
in  his  own  way. 

Each  horse  -  string  wagon  carried  two  scythes,  .  a 
scythe  handle  and  stone,  and  we  had  a  grindstone  in 
one  of  the  trains.  Grass  in  abundance  was  cut  and  put 
along  under  the  picket  rope  so  that  every  horse  could 
have  plenty.  Great  industry  would  be  necessary  to  take 
these  horses  752  miles  across  the  plains  in  good  shape, 
and  we  started  with  this  understanding  and  kept  it  con- 
stantly in  view. 

The  mule  trains  left  Eiley  the  10th  of  September, 
1862,  each  traveling  independently,  with  instruction  to 
camp  on  the  Smoky  Hill  Eiver  at  Salina,  then  a  mere 
stage  station,  until  I  came  up.  There  was  a  plain  road, 
but  little  traveled,  and  this  the  first  Government  train 
of  any  importance  to  pass  over  it.  The  Kansas  Stage 
Company  ran  their  stages  over  it  to  Fort  Lamed,  under 
the  superintendence  of  my  old  friend  L.  G.  Terry.  The 
next  day  the  horse-strings  crossed  Chapman's  Creek, 
where  I  left  them  the  morning  of  the  12th  and  overtook 
the  trains  at  Salina  that  evening — thirty-nine  miles  in 
three  drives.  During  the  afternoon  of  that  day  I  was 
asleep  in  the  ambulance  when  Pat  woke  me  and  said 
there  were  two  horsemen  ahead  going  the  same  way 
that  we  were.  I  looked  out,  and  as  we  drew  near  found 
them  to  be  in  soldier's  uniform.  A  horse  had  been  stolen 
from  my  back  yard  two  days  before  I  left  Leavenworth, 
and  one  of  these  horses  looked  like  mine.     I  told  Pat 


I 


Jack 


i.fXiXTlt^^ 


COCO     DOCD 


■C3    d 


d  D  D 


a         u  o      a 


***9ulJInC£ 

ana 

I--OHGE 


-  p  itiiiinm 

«  a  ililllilill 

°  a  nniiiini 

"  a  iiinmui 


■Jj»  *0H>*y 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  37! 

to,  keep  straight  on  by  them  until  I  told  him  to  6top. 
When  300  yards  ahead  I  got  out  and  stood  in  the  road 
with  double-barrelled  shotgun.  When  within  a  few  steps 
I  told  them  to  halt  and  asked  if  they  had  any  arms,  to 
which  they  replied  in  the  negative,  and  seemed  extreme- 
ly surprised  at  my  action.  They  were  mere  boys  and 
this  their  first  taste  of  war,  as  they  told  me  later.  I 
asked  where  they  were  from  and  where  going.  They 
were  from  Leavenworth  and  were  going  to  Larned  to 
join  their  regiment,  the  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry.  In  short, 
they  enlisted  under  a  rule  to  furnish  their  own  horses, 
for  which  they  were  to  be  paid.  I  told  one  of  them  he 
was  riding  my  horse,  to  which  he  replied  that  he  had 
bought  him  in  Leavenworth.  I  told  him  to  raise  the 
mane  from  the  right  side  of  his  neck  and  if  he  did  not 
find  the  letter  "L"  branded  thereon,  he  could  keep  the 
horse  and  I  would  give  him  his  value  in  money.  He 
immediately  said  the  brand  was  there,  but  he  did  not 
steal  the  horse,  and  I  believed  him,  and  invited  both  to 
camp  with  me  at  Salina  and  we  would  talk  it  over,  which 
they  did,  and  agreed  to  see  me  when  I  came  into  Larned 
if  I  would  allow  him  to  keep  the  horse  until  that  time; 
to  take  him  now  would  ieave  him  afoot  and  he  would 
be.'over  the  time  allowed  to  report  to  his  commanding 
officer.  I  was  sure  that  the  youth  was  honest  and  that 
he  had  bought  the  horse  of  one  of  the  numerous  horse 
thieves,  or  "red-legs"  who  shouted  liberty  and  union 
while  they  robbed  the  people  right  and  left. 

I  found  the  train  all  right  at  Salina.    The  next  day 


372 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 


we  would  lie  by  until  the  horse-strings   came  up  and 
from  that  time  on  traveled  together. 


General  Langdon  C.  Easton.* 

About  midnight  a  fearful  storm  of  thunder,  light- 
ning, rain  and  hail  came  up  suddenly.     I  never  saw  a 

*Major  Easton  graduated  at  the  Military  Academy  in 
1838.  He  served  in  the  Sixth  Infantry  until  1847,  when  he  was 
made  a  captain  in  the  Quartermaster's  Department.  He  re- 
mained in  the  department  until  retired,  Jan.  24,  1881,  He  was 
brevetted  lieutenant  colonel,  colonel,  and  brigadier  general 
for  distinguished  and  imporant  service  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, and  major  general  for  meritorious  service  during  the 
war.     Died  April  29,  1884. 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  373 

worse  storm.  All  the  wagonmasters  knew  that  in  any 
extreme  case  of  that  kind  my  rule  was  for  every  man 
to  get  out,  pull  the  picket-pins  and  tie  mules  to  wagons. 
I  found  everyone  doing  his  best  except  in  one  train, 
and  the  assistant  wagonmaster  and  half  of  the  men 
were  out,  and  all  of  the  mules  made  safe.  At  Eiley 
this  train  had  lost  four  mules,  undoubtedly  by  neglect, 
and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  dispense  with  the  services 
of  this  wagonmaster.  Morning  came,  and  men  were 
hurrying  fires  to  dry  themselves,  the  mules  were  all 
safe  and  being  picketed  out,  when  I  saw  the  derelict 
wagonmaster  crawling  out  of  a  wagon  dry  and  comfort- 
able. I  had  some  whiskey  of  my  own,  got  it  out,  and 
with  a  little  gill  cup  gave  to  every  man  who  wanted  it 
a  "nip."  All  of  the  old  timers  took  it.  The  dry  wagon- 
master came  to  explain  to  me  how  he  got  all  of  his 
mules  tied  up  before  the  heaviest  hail  came,  etc.  I  cut 
him  off  with  the  assurance  that  I  knew  that  he  was  ly- 
ing, and  he  could  not  have  any  whiskey;  he  might  take 
his  mule  and  go  back  to  Leavenworth  and  lie  to  the 
man  who  hired  him,  but  if  he  took  the  mule  he  must 
take  his  "time"  from  me,  in  which  I  would  state  that 
he  was  discharged  for  gross  neglect  of  duty  and  general 
worthlessness.  He  took  it,  and  I  wrote  to  Major  Easton, 
quartermaster  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  a  copy  of  his  dis- 
charge. Henry  Farmer  jame  to  me  in  1855,  and  had 
been  with  me  most  of  the  time  since.  He  was  now  in 
charge  of  a  horse  string  at  $45  per  month,  and  I  made 
him  wagonmaster  at  $65.  I  did  not  have  to  lose  any 
sleep  for  fear  he  would  not  do  his  duty.     My  wagon- 


374  FlYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

masters  were  now  John  Wilson,  who  was  with  me  .in 
1858  in  Utah,  Reed,  Underwood,  Farmer  and  Shehan. 

The  horse  strings  came  up  all  right;  they  escaped 
most  of  the  heavy  storm  and  had  no  hail. 

There  was  a  family  in  Salina,  and  the  nice  woman  : 
had  a  few  days  before  received  a  dozen  chickens,  brought 
on  behind  the  stage-coach  from  near  Silver  Lake.  Early 
she  was  out  looking  for  them;  the  rooster  failed  to  crow, 
and  there  were  no  hens  hunting  crumbs  at  her  door.  Of 
course  she  was  sad.  I  sent  Pat  to  her  house  for  milk 
and  eggs  and  he  found  her  crying.  She  told  him  of  her 
loss,  sent  me  two  eggs,  all  she  had,  and  a  quart  of  milk. 
I  was  mad.  For  a  family  out  here  in  the  wilderness  to 
be  robbed  of  precious  hens  was  too  much,  but  I  said 
nothing.  Strolling  about  from  train  to  train,  I  was  look- 
ing for  evidence  of  chicken  thieves.  In  Reed's  train 
they  had  tried  to  burn  the  feathers,  but.  failed;  there 
they  were,  half  consumed  in  the  ashes.  I  lifted  the  lid 
from  a  big  bake  oven  containing  three  chickens.  Reed 
was  with  me  and  much  embarrassed.  I  told  him  that 
I  would  not  look  any  further,  he  could  do  the  hunting ; 
and  the  first  thing  thing  to  hunt  was  a  dollar  apiece 
for  twelve  chickens,  and  not  a  cent  less,  which  must  be 
given  to  that  woman,  and  if  a  cent's  worth  of  anything 
was.  stolen  from  any  one. I  would  break  up  the  whole 
outfit  but  that  it  should.be  righted.  We  had  come  from 
the  border  where  thieves  were  stealing  and  robbing  in 
the  name  of  patriotism  and  liberty,  but  sveh  things 
should  not  follow  my  trail.  I  would  not  have  it  said,,? 
as   was-  often   said   of   commands   passing   through   the 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  375 

country,  that  they  stole  everything  they  could  carry 
aw;ay.  Reed  was  a  fine  man,  did  not  know  of  the  steal- 
ing until  it  was  done,  and  like  many  other  good  men 
at  the  head  of  a  troop  or  company,  did  not  realize  that 
he  should  teach  "the  boys"  to  protect  people's  property 
and  not  to  steal  it.  The  woman  got  her  money  and 
every  man  of  my  party  a  lesson. 

The  14th  was  lovely  and  we  moved  ten  miles  to 
"Spring  Creek."  This  was  the  first  camp  where  we  had 
all  been  together,  and  I  made  it  as  I  intended  making 
it  when  camping  on  a  stream  where  there  was  room. 
Spring  Creek  runs  from  west  to  east.  The  first  horse 
string  crossed  the  creek,  turned  east  and  stopped;  the 
next  string  passed  beyond  and  turned  the  same  way,  plac- 
ing wagon  and  horse  string  about  twenty-four  feet  be- 
yond the  first;  third,  fourth  and  fifth  go  the  same  dis- 
tance beyond  and  face  the  same  way — that  is,  five  wag- 
ons in  line  facing  the  same  way,  the  same  distance  apart.. 
The  sixth  string  goes  past  the  rear  end  of  the  first  five 
far  enough  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  last  one  and 
stops,  fronting  north;  the  next  string  obliques  enough 
to  place  the  wagon  twenty-four  feet  beyond,  west  of  the 
last  one,  and  so  on  until  eight  wagons  and  horse  strings 
front  north.  Then  the  fourteenth  string  passes  west 
far  enough  advanced  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  thir- 
teenth, the  other  following  in  like  order  until  the  camp 
stands  thus:  Five  wagons  fronting  east,  eight  north 
and  five  west,  all  horse  strings  fronting  out,  rear  end 
of  wagons  forming  three  sides  of  a  square  and  river 
the  fourth  side.     Inside  of  this  square  my  ambulance 


376  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

and  traveling  forge,  and  room  to  hobble  or  picket  a  few 
horses  that  had  met  with  some  accident  or  need  extra 
care,  or  horses  or  mules  waiting  their  turn  to  be  shod. 
Always  more  or  less  horses  were  under  special  treatment, 
and  this  inside  space  was  referred  to  as  "the  hospital." 
And  now  I  made  my  big  round  corral  two  hundred  yards 
in  front  of  the  long  side  of  the  horse  camp.  The  camp 
is  shown  by  the  accompanying  cut.  The  horse  string 
tents  are  shown  behind  the  wagons.  The  wagonmaster's 
tents  were  near  the  corral.  And  now  the  mules  are 
turned  out  with  lariats  on  without  picket-pins.  All 
wagonmasters  and  twenty  men  besides  myself  mounted — 
the  mules  driven  away  ^rom  the  horse  strings,  for  they 
were  sure  to  stampede  the  first  time  they  were  turned 
loose.  After  circling  around  for  a  while,  all  settled  down 
to  grazing  and  there  was  no  more  trouble.  A  man  led 
a  gentle  white  horse  with  big  bell  on  his  neck,  and  the 
mules  learned  to  follow  him  to  the  corral.  After  two 
or  three  days  the  lariats  were  stored  away  in  the  wagons 
and  not  used  any  more.  In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon 
a.  large  herd  of  buffalo  came  in  sight,  evidently  going 
for  water  to  Spring  Creek,  moving  straight  for  our  camp. 
They  were  moving  toward  the  sun  which  blinded  them 
so  that  they  could  not  see  the  wagons  until  near  to  them. 
The  mules  were  corralled  quickly  and  the  gap  closed, 
guns  were  gotten  out  and  a  long  skirmish  line  thrown 
out  between  the  buffalo  and  the  camp.  After  a  good 
deal  of  shooting  the  buffalo  sheered  off  and  crossed  the 
creek  a  mile  west  of  the  horses  and  continued  their 
course  until  out  of  sight.     Several  buffalo  were  killed 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  377 

and  many  wounded.  It  was  quite  an  exciting  battle, 
but  if  not  turned  they  would  have  been  in  our  horse 
camp  before  they  knew  it,  and  the  ruin  would  have 
been  great. 

And  here  the  rules  for  the  future  were  laid  down: 
The  mules  would  be  herded,  a  wagonmaster  or  his  as- 
sistant always  on  herd  with  ten  teamsters,  who  stayed 
on  until  midnight  and  were  then  relieved  and  the  mules 
corralled  at  early  dawn,  and  any  time  in  the  night  that 
there  seemed  to  be  danger;  we  must  not  be  caught  out 
in  a  bad  storm;  in  fact,  with  the  gray  horse  and  the 
bell,  they  were  very  little  trouble.  All  hands  were  roused 
at  early  dawn  and  the  mules  fed  two  quarts  of  corn  each 
— no  corn  for  the  mules  at  night — the  grass  was  good 
enough.  The  horses  were  fed  two  quarts  of  corn  at 
night  and  green  grass  piled  up  under  their  picket  lines; 
in  the  morning  they  were  fed  two  quarts  of  corn  each 
and  groomed.  Breakfast  over  they  were  watered,  prep- 
aration was  made  for  starting,  and  at  7:00  o'clock  we 
roiled  out,  the  horse  strings  in  front,  the  first  string  to- 
day the  rear  string  to-morrow,  and  so  on  to  the  end; 
the  trains  moved  in  the  same  order  following  the  horses. 
The  horse  strings  naturally  traveled  a  little  faster  than 
the  mule  teams,  but  where  there  was  no  danger  of  In- 
dians it  made  little  difference  if  the  trains  were  a  little 
behind.  If  anything  caused  a  horse  string  to  stop,  the 
others  passed  on  and  the  delayed  one  fell  in  behind; 
the  same  way  if  a  team  would  stop  for  any  purpose.  All 
found  their  proper  place  in  camp  and  there  was  no  con- 
fusion.    And  here  I  made  a  rule  that  about  two  miles 


378  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

out  of  camp  horse  strings  would  pull  out  of  the  :  hard 
road  on  to  the  errass  and 'stop  ten  minutes,  while  the; men 
readjusted  anything  out  of  place  or  attended  to  their 
own  necessities.  While  waiting  this  ten  minutes,  three 
horses  out  of  four  would  urinate.  The  mule  teams  must 
do  the  same  way,  with  like  results.  The  amount  of  suf- 
fering for  men  and  animals  thereby  avoided  cannot  be 
estimated.  .    ;  :f  _< 

On  the  15th  we  moved  twelve  miles  and  again 
camped  on  Spring  Creek,  the  same  as  yesterday.  Only 
two  or  three  buffaloes  seen  to-day.  As  soon  as  camp  is.' 
established  horses  are  led  to  water^  and  again  after  feed-; 
ing  corn  and  grooming. 

I  am  determined  that  these  horses  shall  go  through 
to  Union  in  the  best  condition  possible.  We  are  a  com- 
fortably provided  for  party,  and  men  need  not  give  way 
to  carelessness  and  neglect  because  they  are  away  from 
home.  They  fare  as  well  as  men  do  on  farms  and  are. 
much  better  paid,  and  must  not  permit  things  to  go  at 
loose  ends  because  it  .is  "Uncle  Sam's"  property.  And 
here  I  will  say  that  the  men  with  me  this  trip  were  the 
best  civilians  that  I  ever  traveled  with.  More  than  half 
of  them  had  never  been  on  the,  plains  before;  had  'been 
raised  in  good .  homes  in  Missouri,  but  on  account  of 
troubles  growing  out  of  the  war,  when  the  news'  went, 
through  the  country  that  this  big.  caravan  would  go  to 
New  Mexico  the  best  young  men  in  the  border  counties, 
came.  There  was  a  singular,  reticence  about  thenar — ap- 
parent desire  not  to  talk  of  themselves  from  the  fear: 
of  being  condemned  for  rebels  if  they  hailed  from  Mis- 


FIVE  YEARS  A   DRAGOON.  379 

souri,  and  all  the  way  to  New  Mexico  and  back  'there 
was'  a  quietness  unusual  on  the  plains.  The  men  were 
young  and  willing  to  do  right,  and  among  the  nearly 
three  hundred  with  me  there  were-  no  quarrels,  no  jar- 
rings.  Two  youths  in  adjoining  horse  strings  fell  out 
and  drew  pistols.  I  rode  in  between  them  and  made 
each  bring  his  pistol  to  me,  and  each  tell  his  grievance, 
which  amounted  to  nothing,  and  I  lectured  them;  told 
them  of  home,  family  and  friends.  I  stated  to  them 
that  it  was  no  unusual  thing  in  civilian  outfits  going 
long  journeys  for  men  to  fall  out  and  some  one  be  killed, 
and  assured  them  that  no  one  would  be  hurt  with  me. 
I  would  allow  no  man  to  ill-treat  another,  especially  such 
men  as  they  were.  I  was  going  to  send  them  home  to 
Missouri  wiser  and  better  men,  and  here  and  now  they 
must  shake  hands,  which  they  did.  I  did  not  tell  them 
so,  but  imagined  each  one  felt  his  honor  vindicated  by 
showing  pluck  enough  to  draw  his  pistol,  and  his  van- 
ity was  satisfied. 

I  pass  my  daily  journal  because  too  voluminous. 
Crossed  the  Smoky  Hill  at  the  stage  station  called  Ells- 
worth, where  Fort  Harker  was  afterwards  built.  I  never 
rode  in  my  ambulance  during  the  day  fr6m  Salina  to 
XTnion,  with  two  exceptions.  I  rode  one  horse  during 
the  day  and  had  another  one  saddled  to  use  after  com- 
ing into  camp.  Each  hcrse  string  had  a  man  on  guard 
the  fore  part  and  another  the  last  half  of  the  night, 
whose  duties  were  to  walk  up  and  down  the  horse  string 
and  be  ready  to  attend  to  a  horse  that  got  his  foot  over 
the  rope  or  in  any  other  trouble,  so  that  the  string  crew, 


380  WW*  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

including  foreman  and  cooks,  were  on  guard  half  of 
every  night.  I  had  a  man  to  ride  all  night  from  one 
horse  string  to  another  around  the  corral  out  to  the 
herd  and  every  point  about  the  whole  camp,  with  in- 
structions to  report  to  me  if  there  was  anything  wrong, 
if  a  watchman  was  asleep,  or  any  one  neglecting  his 
duty.  He  slept  in  a  wagon  nicely  fitted  up  during  the 
day.  His  name  was  John  Gartin,  and  I  never  saw  his 
equal  for  faithful  endurance. 

I  was  instructed  to  go  this  route  because  it  was 
supposed  to  be  much  nearer  than  by  the  old  Santa  Fe 
trail.  I  arrived  on  the  high  ground  overlooking  Cheyenne 
Bottom  and  was  surprised  at  its  extent — an  expanse  of 
about  ten  miles  of  bottom  with  a  mere  trail  but  little 
traveled  and  apparently  wet.  I  could  not  plunge  into 
that  without  examining  it.  I  had  an  inkling  that  there 
was  such  a  bottom,  and  had  ridden  some  miles  ahead  of 
the  horse  strings,  and  now  wrote  a  few  lines  to  the  man 
in  charge  of  the  first  string  telling  him  and  all  to  halt 
here  until  my  return,  put  it  on  a  stick  and  stuck  it  in 
the  ground.  I  kept  an  assistant  wagonmaster  with  me, 
and  we  rode  across  the  bottom  to  a  good  camp  on  the 
west  side  and  back  in  about  three  hours.  I  determined 
to  take  the  horse  strings  across,  but  if  I  got  the  loaded 
wagons  into  that  bottom  and  it  should  rain,  which  was 
threatening,  I  might  wallow  in  the  mud  indefinitely, 
and  so  I  instructed  the  trains  to  corral.  If  it  rained  I 
would  have  to  go  south  to  the  old  Santa  Fe  traiL  The 
horse-string  wagons  were  so  light  that  I  could  risk  them. 
The  horse  strings  crossed  ali  right,  and  were  in  a  good 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  33 1 

camp  on  the  west  side  before  dark.  I  was  off  in  the 
morning  early,  reached  the  trains  by  starting  time  and 
led  them  over  the  bottom,  and  on  across  Walnut  Creek, 
the  horse  strings  coming  in  a  little  later.  The  next  day 
we  passed  Pawnee  Eock,  and  crossed  Pawnee  Fork  at 
its  mouth  (where  now  stands  the  town  of  Larned)  and 
camped  on  the  west  side.  I  was  told  when  I  left  Leav- 
enworth that  a  strong  escort  would  be  ready  at  Fort 
Larned  to  accompany  me  all  the  way  through  to  Union, 
and  I  sent  a  man  from  my  Walnut  Creek  camp  with  a 
letter  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort  Larned,  ap- 
prising him  of  my  approach  and  requested  that  the  es- 
cort join  me  en  route  and  save  delay.  I  knew  that  ev- 
ery mail  carried,  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Larned, 
something  upon  that  subject  and  had  reason  to  suppose 
that  the  escort  would  be  ready.  It  was  eight  miles  out 
of  my  way  to  go  by  Larned  and  I  wanted  to  avoid  it. 
Captain  Eeed  of  the  Ninth  Kansas,  commanding  Fort 
Larned,  with  my  messenger  met  me  at  camp,  where  I 
learned  that  there  were  few  troops  at  Larned  and  they 
hardly  initiated  as  soldiers,  and  all  that  he  could  pos- 
sibly spare  would  be  Lieutenant  Dodge,  of  a  Wisconsin 
battery,  and  twenty-five  men  of  the  Ninth;  he  would 
select  the  very  best  that  he  had  and  they  would  be  well 
disciplined  with  a  good  officer.  After  lunch  we  drove 
in  my  ambulance  to  the  Fort  and  saw  the  escort  which 
would  move  to  join  me  early  in  the  morning.  I  knew, 
and  so  did  Captain  Reed,  that  I  would  have  to  pass 
through  the  whole  Kiowa  and  Comanche  Nations,  camped 
along  the  Arkansas  in  the  vicinity  of  where  now  stands 


382  FIVE  TEARS  A   DRAGOON. 

Dodge  City,  and  the  sight  of  600  fine  horses  passing 
close  would  be  a  great  temptation  to  possess  themselves 
of  some.  I  ought  to  have  an  escort  of  500  men,  but  they 
were  not  to  be  had.  Be  it  remembered  that  an  Indian's 
weak  point  (or  strong  point)  is  horse;  horses,  scalps,  and 
squaws  are  what  contribute  to  his  happiness  and  make 
life  worth  living.  Captrin  Eeed  said  that  the  young  man 
with  my  horse  had  reported  to  him  and  was  in  trouble. 
He  was  sent  for;  I  believed  him, honest,  and  wrote  and 
gave  him  a  bill  of  sale  (or  rather  "a  bill  of  gift"), 
reading : 

"I  have  this  day  presented  to  Private  — — ,  of 

Troop,  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry,  one  small  bay  horse  seven 
years  old,  branded  L  on  right  side  of  neck,  said  horse 
having  been  previously  stolen  from  me  at  Leavenworth 

and  sold  to  said ,  who  was  an  innocent  purchaser. 

(Signed)  "P.  G.  Lowe." 

To  say  that  the  young  man  was  greatly  relieved 
would  be  putting  it  mildly.  I  liked  Captain  Reed  im- 
mensely and  am  sorry  I  do  not  know  his  career. 

The  next  day  we  moved  up  to  near  where  is  now 
Kinsley,  and  Lieutenant  Dodge  and  command  joined  us. 
His  party  were  well  mounted,  and  from  first  to  last 
Dodge  and  his  men  were  to  me  all  that  that  number 
could  be.  Having  no  mess  or  servant,  I  invited  Dodge 
to  join  me,  which  he  was  glad  to  do.  He  placed  his  men 
wherever  I  asked  him  to  and  relieved  me  of  much  care 
all  the  way  through.  My  horse-string  men  were  armed 
with  revolvers  and  teamsters  with  muskets,  and  I  in- 
spected them  carefully  and  saw  that  they  had  plenty  of 


FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  *  283 

ammunition.     The  next  morning,  a  short  distance  from 
camp,   we   met    Company   F,    Second    Colorado  —  about 
seventy-five    men    under   Lieutenant    Weis,    of    Denver. 
They  were  on  the  way  from  Fort  Lyon  to  Larned  to 
report  to  Captain  Reed.    "Billie"  Weis  was  a  fine  saddler 
and  worked  in  the  shop  at  Fort  Leavenworth  a  number 
of  years.    On  the  Cheyenne  expedition  he  went  with  me 
as  saddler,  and  was  of  much  service  fixing  up  the  pack- 
trains,  and  went  with  them.     On  the  Utah  expedition  ho 
was  my  cook  to  Camp  Floyd.    When  I  went  into  business 
with  Mr.  Clayton  he  went  as  cook  to  Denver  and  cooked 
for  our  mess  until  we  set  him  up  in  the  saddlery  busi- 
ness, and  now  he  was  a  good  officer,  commanding  as  fine 
a  company  of  men  as  I  ever  saw,  every  man  a  pioneer, 
experienced   in   everything   that   makes   a  man   on   the 
plains  or  in  the  mountains  self-supporting — all  recruited 
in  Denver.    I  knew  several  of  them,  and  was  introduced 
and  shook  hands  with  the  whole  company.     I  wrote  a 
note  to  Captain  Reed  requesting  him  to  order  Lieuten- 
ant Weis  to  join  me  and  go  all  the  way  through,  and 
told  the  Lieutenant  where  I  would  camp  and  wait  for 
him  to  join  me,  for  I  did  not  want  to  reach  the  Indian 
camp  until  he  did  join.     He  had  wagon  transportation, 
could  make  good  time,  and  he  was  as  anxious  to  go  as 
I  was  to  have  him.     At  early  dawn  the  next  morning 
John  Grartin  called  me  and  said  that  Lieutenant  Weis 
wanted  to  report.    Here  he  was  with  his  company  twentv 
hours  after  he  left  me.    The  distance  traveled  to  Larned 
and  back  to  where  he  joined  was  sixty-five  miles.    I  told 
him  to  let  his  men  sleep  as  long  as  he  wanted  to;   I 

25— 


384  PI?®  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

would  only  move  ten  miles  and  camp  two  miles  east  of 
the  Indian  camp.  I  had  ridden  up  and  selected  my  camp 
the  night  before  and  would  not  move  early.  We  moved 
out  about  9  o'clock  and  camped  on  high  ground  near 
the  junction  of  the  Dry  or  Coon  Creek  route  and  the 
river  road.  For  miles  along  both  sides  of  the  Arkansas, 
commencing  two  miles  above  my  camp,  were  Indian 
tepees  with  numerous  inhabitants.  My  camp  was  care- 
fully made,  as  it  always  was,  and  abundance  of  grass 
collected.  Dodge's  men  picketed  the  high  points.  Weis 
came  up  and  was  assigned  a  position  just  west  of  the 
horse  strings.  A  line  was  designated  for  the  sentinels, 
and  all  of  his  men  put  on  guard,  and  no  Indian  allowed 
to  cross  the  line  without  my  permission.  Hundreds 
came,  but  only  two,  Satenta  and  Lone  Wolf,  were  per- 
mitted to  cross  the  line,  and  they  stayed  and  dined  with 
me  and  Lieutenants  Dodge  and  Weis.  "Joe"  Armijo, 
who  had  been  with  me  nearly  five  years,  was  my  inter- 
preter; all  of  the  Indians  understood  Mexican.  I  left 
the  impression  upon  the  minds  of  these  chiefs  that  the 
soldiers  were  asleep  in  wagons  and  that  those  on  post 
were  only  a  few  of  what  we  had.  Each  teamster  placed 
his  musket  so  that  it  stuck  out  from  under  the  wagon 
covers.  I  impressed  upon  them  that  while  we  did  not 
believe  the  Indians  would  purposely  annoy  us,  the  curi- 
osity of  young  men,  women  and  children  might  cause 
them  to  come  too  near,  frighten  the  horses  and  give  us 
trouble,  which  could  be  avoided,  and  they  could  see  the 
big  train  pass  by  just  as  well  at  a  little  distance — a  few 
hundred  yards  away.     They  promised  that  all  of  their 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  3g5 

people  would  observe  my  wishes  and  I  need  feel  no  un- 
easiness about  it. 

I  had  traveled  two  horse  strings  and  two  wagons 
abreast  during  the  last  two  days  to  keep  them  more 
compact,  as  was  always  customary  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail 
from  Walnut  Creek  to  Bent's  Fort.  There  were  two, 
three  and  sometimes  four  well  broken  roads  for  many 
miles  through  the  Indian  country  along  the  Arkansas 
River,  from  the  west  line  of  what  is  now  McPherson 
County  to  Bent's  Old  Fort,  and  now  I  rolled  out  three 
abreast,  six  horse  strings  long  and  three  wide;  forty 
mule  teams  long  and  three  wide.  Muskets  protruded 
from  under  the  wagon  covers,  soldiers  were  wide  awake 
and  plain  to  be  seen.  Dodge  rode  ahead  with  me  with 
a  skirmish  line  of  a  dozen  of  his  men  spread  out  wide, 
indicating  that  none  must  come  inside  of  this  width, 
while  the  balance  of  his  men  picketed  the  hills.  For 
one  who  knew  the  curiosity  of  Indians  under  such  cir- 
cumstances it  was  remarkable  how  by  thousands,  men, 
women  and  children  observed  the  promise  the  chiefs 
had  made  the  day  before.  For  more  than  ten  miles 
these  people  trudged  on  foot,  or  cavorted  about  on 
ponies  on  either  side  of  the  train,  never  approaching 
nearer  than  200  yards.  When  we  had  traveled  more 
than  twenty  miles  and  started  up  over  the  Seven-mile 
Journada,  most  of  them  were  out  of  sight;  but  the  two 
chiefs  referred  to  and  a  few  others  came  to  shake  hands 
and  say  good-bye.  Armijo  conveyed  to  them  my  thanks, 
and  I  had  a  barrel  of  hard  bread  and  small  sack  of  sugar 
gotten  out  for  them. 


386  FI7E  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Seven -mile  Journada  was  a  rugged  bluff  running 
down  to  the  river,  very  broken — a  good  place  for  an  am- 
bush. I  explained  to  Dodge,  who  rode  ahead  with  his 
skirmish  line  and  examined  every  break.  There  could 
be  no  traveling  abreast,  there  being  but  one  hard  grav- 
elly road  only  wide  enough 
for  one  wagon.  All  horse 
strings  and  wagons  returned 
to  single  file  and  we  reached 
the  Arkansas  River  and  Cim- 
arron Crossing  in  safety, 
went  into  a  fine  camp  at  the 
end  of  the  thirty-five  mile 
drive,  without  stopping  to 
water.  Fortunately  the  day 
was  cloudy  and  cool.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  tell  how 
eager  the  horses  were  for  j~ 
water  and  how,  when  turned 
loose,  the  mules  rushed  into 
the  river  to  drink  and  roll 
on  the  sandbars.  Possibly  I  Col.  Jesse  H.  Leavenworth* 
could  have  made  half  of  the  distance  and  camped 
without  trouble  but  I  should  have  revealed  the  weak- 
ness of  my  escort,  and  the  temptation  to  crowd  in 
would  make  it  almost  impossible  to   restrain   a   thou- 


*General  Henry  Leavenworth,  the  founder  of  Fort  Leav- 
enworth, Kansas,  left  an  only  son,  Colonel  Jesse  H.  Leaven- 
worth. Colonel  Leavenworth  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1830 
and  served  in  the  Fourth  and  Second  Infantry  until  1836,  when 
he  resigned  to  engage  in  civil  engineering.     In  1862  Secretary 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  337 

sand  or  two  young  bucks.  I  never  heard  the  wisdom 
of  my  action  questioned  by  any  of  my  party.  Dodge  and 
Weis  freely  expressed  themselves  as  pleased;  it  was  a 
great  relief  to  have  passed  safely  by  that  great  camp 
and  to  feel  that  they  were  left  behind;  but  we  did  not 
relax  our  vigilance;  the  Indians  might  think  we  had 
grown  confident  and  careless,  and  the  guards  were  doubly 
cautious. 

From  the  Cimarron  Crossing  to  Fort  Union  was 
the  best  natural  road  probably  in  the  world,  and  shorter 
than  by  the  Eaton  route  by  about  one  hundred  miles, 
but  the  impression  prevailed  at  Fort  Leavenworth  that 
it  was  very  dangerous  for  my  outfit  on  account  of  the 
Confederate  guerrillas  and  Apache  Indians,  hence  my 
orders  were  to  go  the  Eaton  route. 

Next  morning  we  rolled  out  at  the  usual  hour  and 
traveled  about  twelve  miles.  There  was  nothing  worthy 
of  note  until  we  reached  Fort  Lyon,  commanded  by  Col- 
onel Leavenworth  of  the  "Rocky  Mountain  Eangers,"  a 
son  of  the  founder  of  Fort  Leavenworth.  We  were  two 
days  here;  got  all  the  hay  we  wanted  and  turned  over 
100  horses.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  abandoned  two  horses, 
hopelessly  crippled,  so  that  I  left  Lyon  with  510. 

From  Lvon  west  and  southwest,  there  had  been  a 
drought  and  the  grass  was  too  short  to  mow.    We  filled 

Stanton  commissioned  him  to  organize  a  regiment  of  cavalry 
in  Colorado,  and  this  organization  became  known  as  the 
"Rocky  Mountain  Rangers."  It  did  valiant  service  in  pro- 
tecting a  thousand  miles  of  Western  frontier  from  the  en- 
croachment of  hostile  tribes  of  Indians.  He  died  in  1F85,  and 
his  remains  rest  at  Milwaukee.  His  four  daughters  reside  in 
Chicago  and  Tacoma. 


388  FIVE   YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

all  the  wagons  at  Lyon  and  fed  sparingly.  Crossed  the 
river  at  Bent's  Old  Fort  and  camped  ten  miles  above. 
Here  was  a  species  of  canebrake,  flat-leaved,  and  relished 
by  animals  in  the  absence  of  other  long  forage.  I  had 
all  cut,  and  piled  into  the  wagons  all  that  was  not  eaten. 
The  next  day  it  was  thirty  miles  to  Timpas  without 
water  between  camps;  grass  good  for  mules  running 
loose,  but  none  could  be  cut  with  a  scythe.  On  this 
route  from  the  Arkansas  to  the  Picketwire  River  (Pur- 
gatoire)  was  always  a  hard  problem  for  forage  and  water. 
My  little  supply  of  hay  and  cane  would  be  all  consumed 
to-night,  and  I  did  not  expect  to  use  a  scythe  again  this 
side  of  the  Eaton  Mountains.  The  mules  could  be  herded 
where  grass  could  not  be  mowed,  but  it  was  too  late  to 
break  the  horses  to  herd,  and  I  would  not  be  justified 
in  trying  it,  if  I  met  with  an  accident;  but  I  will  here 
express  the  opinion  that  divided  into  herds  of  200  or 
300  the  horses  would  have  gone  to  Mexico  better  on 
grass  than  they  would  on  strings  with  plenty  of  hay  and 
corn.  From  Timpas  to  water  holes  was  fifteen  miles, 
and  as  I  knew,  no  place  to  camp.  Six  miles  farther  was 
Hole  in  the  Rock,  and  nothing  but  volcanic  rock  and 
stunted  pine  and  cedar.  Twelve  miles  more  to  Hole  in 
the  Prairie,  there  ought  to  be  grass  and  water. 

In  all  these  places  watering  must  be  done  with 
buckets,  and  so  it  looked  as  if  we  would  travel  thirty- 
three  miles  and  camp  at  Hole  in  the  Prairie.  The  horse 
strings  reached  the  water  holes  and  were  well  watered. 
While  they  were  watering  the  trains  came  and  were  told 
to  pass  on  to  Hole  in  the  Rock  to  save  time.    The  horse 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  339 

strings  came  up  and  passed  the  trains  while  watering 
at  Hole  in  the  Rock.  With  an  assistant  wagonmaster  1 
rode  on  to  Hole  in  the  Prairie,  where  the  ground  showed 
no  signs  of  rain  for  a  long  time,  and  was  covered  with 
a  white  scum  of  alkali  and  water  strongly  impregnated 
with  it.  Surely  I  could  not  camp  anything  here  and  let 
the  animals  drink.  When  the  strings  got  here  they 
would  have  traveled  eighteen  miles  since  watering  and 
the  trains  twelve,  in  all  thirty-three  miles  from  Timpas. 
Fortunately  the  weather  was  cool. 

When  the  strings  came  up  I  sent  them  right  on,  not 
allowing  men  or  beasts  to  use  the  water.  I  showed  where 
the  trains  should  camp  on  high  ground  above  the  alkali 
bottom;  told  the  wagonmaster  in  charge  to  have  the 
mules  herded  without  allowing  them  in  the  bottoms  or 
near  the  water;  to  corral  the  mules  at  dark  and  start 
early  in  the  morning.  Then  I  got  into  my  ambulance 
with  an  assistant  wagonmaster  and  drove  for  the  Picket- 
wire;  arrived  there,  I  found  the  road  had  been  changed 
since  1854  and  ran  up  the  north  side.  Following  it 
about  three  miles,  I  saw  a  cabin  and  some  stacks  of  oats. 
A  young  man  living  here  alone  had  come  from  St.  Louis 
in  the  spring,  raised  a  crop  of  oats  and  a  good  garden. 
It  was.  like  an  oasis  in  the  desert.  In  short,  I  bought 
his  three  stacks 'of  oats,  as  fine  as  I  ever  saw,  and  sent 
my  assistant  back  to  the  turn  of  the  road  to  bring  up 
the  horse  strings.  Two  dollars  a  bushel  the  man  wanted 
for  his  oats.  That  was  the  Government  price  at  Max- 
well's ranch  on  the  Cimarron.  I  did  not  dispute  the 
price,  and  he  left  it  to  me  to  say  how  many  bundles 


390  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

should  make  a  bushel.  They  were  large  and  I  allowed 
a  dozen,  which  was  satisfactory. 

Near  sunset  the  horse  strings  came  up  at  the  end 
of  their  forty-seven  mile  drive,  and  the  horses  all  led 
into  the  beautiful  clear  stream  up  to  their  knees.  Had 
we  found  no  feed  but  the  corn  we  had,  they  were  for- 
tunate to  be  here  instead  of  at  the  Hole  in  the  Prairie. 
All  of  the  foremen  of  strings  and  myself  stood  by  to 
see  that  the  horses  were  led  out  before  drinking  too 
much.  They  were  watered  all  they  wanted  an  hour  later. 
Three  bundles  were  given  each  horse  and  no  corn.  A 
gorge  of  water  with  corn  might  cause  some  sickness; 
they  ate  every  straw.  After  watering  next  morning 
they  were  given  two  bundles  each  and  ate  it  clean  be- 
fore noon,  and  the  balance  was  put  into  the  wagons  and 
taken  along.  Three  hundred  dozen  bundles  of  oats  the 
man  sold  me,  and  reserved  a  few  dozen  for  his  horse. 
It  was  cheap  feed  under  the  circumstances  for  my 
horses,  and  none  too  much  for  him  to  get.  We  bought 
some  nice  vegetables  from  him  also. 

Half  a  mile  above  lived  Mr. ,  whose  wife  was  a 

sister  to  Kit  Carson,  and  she  had  a  nice  five-year-old  boy. 
She  brought  him  with  her  when  she  came  with  some 
milk  and  eggs  to  my  camp  to  sell — a  bright  little  fellow, 
and  I  had  quite  a  romp  with  him.  A  week  later  he  died 
from  the  effects  of  a  rattlesnake  bite.  I  was  shocked 
to  hear  it  on  my  return. 

The  next  morning  I  rode  up  to  where  now  stands 
Trinidad  and  selected  a  camp.  A  man  named  Hall,  for- 
merly sergeant  in  the  Second  Dragoons,  lived  there  with 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  391 

a  Mexican  wife — the  only  inhabitants.  He  had  raised  a 
crop  of  corn  and  had  a  stack  of  fodder  cut  off  above  the 
ears  and  nicely  cured.  I  bought  it.  The  trains  came  up 
and  watered  where  I  bought  the  oats,  and  camped  near 
HalPs.  They  found  fairly  good  grass  on  hills.  The 
horse  strings  came  up  in  the  afternoon. 

Since  leaving  Lyon  we  had  been  feeding  mules  the 
same  amount  of  corn  that  we  did  the  horses  on  account 
of  short  grass.  The  next  day  we  moved  about  twelve 
miles  up  the  canon  towards  the  Raton  summit.  The 
mules  did  well  herded  on  gramma  grass  and  the  horses 
had  fodder.  The  next  day  we  had  before  us  three  miles 
to  the  summit  and  then  down  ten  miles  of  steep,  rocky, 
mountain  road  and  three  more  to  water  holes.  We  had 
passed  all  the  alkali  country  without  losing  an  animal, 
but  here  a  horse  died. 

Colonel  Leavenworth  assured  me  that  great  efforts 
would  be  made  by  guerrillas,  rebel  sympathizers,  etc.,  of 
which  he  claimed  to  have  positive  knowledge,  to  capture 
my  outfit;  that  said  guerrillas  were  in  strong  bands 
ranging  through  the  country;  this  would  be  a  rich  haul 
for  them,  and  once  captured  they  could  easily  run  to 
Texas  or  Indian  Territory,  and  there  were  no  troops  in 
the  country  to  pursue  or  make  them  afraid.  And  the 
Colonel  declared  that  these  same  guerrillas  were  pre- 
suming that  the  civilians  of  my  party  would  have  little 
incentive  to  fight,  and  my  hundred  soldiers,  suddenly 
surprised  by  two  or  three  hundred  Texans,  might  not 
stand  up  very  long  either.  To  myself  I  must  admit  that 
with  a  well  organized  party  of  such  men  as  I  had  known 


392  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

I  could  surprise  and  stampede  a  herd  of  mules  and  de- 
moralize a  lot  of  horse  strings  without  great  loss. 

There  was  nothing  strange  in  the  Colonel's  story, 
and  why  an  enterprising  enemy  should  permit  such  a 
valuable  caravan  with  so  little  protection  to  escape 
seemed  a  mystery.  Armed  as  my  men  were  they  would 
seem  a  strong  defensive  party,  and  so  they  were  in 
corral  and  could  protect  it,  but  a  party  of  rough  riders 
dashing  into  a  herd  or  a  train  en  route  could  cause  much 
demoralization,  and  all  the  teamsters  could  do  would 
be  to  care  for  their  teams,  and  the  horse  string  men 
would  be  too  busy  to  fight,  so  that  as  a  fighting  force 
my  men  amounted  to  nothing  en  route.  On  the  open 
plains  with  my  little  squad  of  cavalry  on  the  lookout, 
we  were  tolerably  safe,  but  in  the  mountains  or  broken 
countrv  it  was  more  dangerous.  I  had  talked  with  Lieu- 
tenants Dodge  and  Weis  a  good  deal,  and  they  fully  ap- 
preciated the  danger  and  were  extremely  vigilant.  Sure- 
ly if  I  was  to  have  trouble  it  would  be  in  getting  down 
the  south  side  of  the  mountain. 

Dodge  was  off  early  and  covered  a  wide  range  with- 
out seeing  a  man  or  anything  to  arouse  suspicion.  As 
the  horse  strings  worked  their  way  slowly  down  with 
great  difficulty  Weis's  men  faithfully  picketed  the  way. 
It  was  a  hard  road  for  horse  strings,  but  we  finally 
reached  camp  at  the  water  holes,  when  some  wagons 
came  in  sight  and  kept  coming  until  sunset,  when  all 
were  in  camp  and  no  animals  hurt,  F  Company  bringing 
up  the  rear.  It  was  a  faithful  day's  work  for  all  con- 
cerned and  no  sign  of  an  enemy. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  393 

Early  the  next  morning  I  sent  Mr.  Sharp,  a  man 
in  charge  of  a  horse  string,  with  a  letter  to  Mr.  Max- 
well, of  Maxwell's  ranch,  requesting  him  to  deliver  at 
my  camp  on  Vermijo,  fifteen  miles  northeast  of  his 
ranch,  2,000  bundles  of  sheaf  oats,  or  an  equivalent  in 
hay  or  other  long  fodder  —  whatever  he  had.  It  was 
twenty-eight  miles,  and  I  found  Sharp  and  the  oats  ready 
for  me.  Sharp's  ride  was  fifty-eight  miles,  and  if  he 
had  not  stayed  with  the  Mexican  ox  drivers,  they  would 
not  have  reached  my  camp. 

The  next  day  twenty-five  miles  to  Sweet  Water.  I 
found  men  putting  up  hay,  claiming  they  had  the  right, 
and  I  bought  from  them  enough  for  one  night  and  to 
haul  along  for  to-morrow  night,  for  I  knew  we  would 
find  none  at  Ocate,  where  we  arrived  the  next  day — four- 
teen miles. 

At  the  Sweet  Water  camp,  a  young  Mexican  com- 
plained that  two  men  had  come  to  his  sheep  herd  and 
taken  two  young  sheep,  shot  them,  took  out  their  en- 
trails and  packed  the  sheep  off  on  their  backs.  His 
employer  would  take  $2  apiece  out  of  his  wages  for 
losing  them,  and  he  wanted  that  much  money.  I  went 
around  with  him,  found  fresh  mutton,  and  he  pointed 
out  the  men  who  took  the  sheep.  I  told  the  men  to 
hustle  the  $4  and  I  would  make  no  fuss  about  it;  other- 
wise, I  would  find  a  way  to  get  it.  It  was  soon  paid, 
and  notice  given  that  no  robbery  would  be  permitted; 
"the  damn  greaser/'  as  they  pleased  to  call  him,  had 
rights  that  must  be  respected.  No  more  sheep  were 
stolen. 


394  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

Ocaite  to  Fort  Union,  twenty  miles,  where  I  was 
well  received  by  Captain  Craig,  the  quartermaster  (whom 
I  had  not  seen  since  1854),  Captain  Van  Vliet,  military 
storekeeper,  old  Captain  Shoemaker,  ordnance  officer 
(whom  I  had  met  here  in  1854),  and  Colonel  Moore,  the 
post  trader.  This  was  the  10th  of  October,  and  we  had 
traveled  622  miles  from  Fort  Riley  in  thirty  days,  in- 
cluding two  days  lay-by  at  Fort  Lyon.  Our  losses  had 
been  three  horses  and  four  mules. 

I  turned  over  all  wagons,  except  the  eighteen  light 
ones  used  by  horse  strings  and  my  ambulance,  all  mules 
except  nineteen  four-mule  teams  and  five  riding  mules, 
and  all  horses  except  two.  A  few  men  wanted  to  re- 
main in  New  Mexico  and  found  employment,  but  250 
returned  with  me. 

I  disliked  parting  with  Lieutenant  Weis  and  Comp- 
pany  F  and  Lieutenant  Dodge  and  his  Ninth  Kansans, 
but  I  no  longer  needed  them  and  they  did  not  need  me. 
I  would  travel  much  faster  than  they,  and  so  we  parted, 
on  my  part  regretfully.  I  do  not  know  Dodge's  career, 
but  fear  that  he  joined  the  great  majority  during  the 
terrible  wax.  Major  William  Weis,  after  many  adven- 
tures— ups  and  downs,  can  be  found  at  his  saddlery  shop 
industriously  making  an  honorable  living  at  2630  Cham- 
pa Street,  Denver,  Colo. 

But  about  half  of  the  men  could  ride  at  one  time 
in  the  eighteen  wagons.  I  put  a  wagonmaster  or  fore- 
man of  horse  strings  in  charge  of  each  wagon,  and  the 
men  were  divided  off  so  that  each  man  knew  the  wagon 
and  mess  that  he  belonged  to,  and  the  man  in  charge 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  395 

must  see  that  they  rode  turn  about.  Some  men  never 
rode;  one,  "Dick"  Anderson  of  Platte  County,  Missouri, 
left  camp  as  soon  as  he  got  breakfast  and  was  in  camp 
in  the  evening  among  the  first.  He  came  from  Utah 
with  me  in  1858,  and  never  rode  a  step  except  when 
snow  was  deep.  Weather  on  the  return  trip  was  good 
until  towards  the  last — just  cold  enough  to  make  men 
relish  walking. 

I  measured  the  road  from  Union  to  Leavenworth, 
752  miles,  with  an  odometer  on  my  ambulance  wheel. 
The  second  night  from  Union  we  camped  at  Sweet 
Water.  A  high  promontory  juts  out  into  the  plain  south 
of  our  camp;  wagons  came  around  it  following  the  road 
with  half  of  the  men  strung  along  on  foot;  and  bring- 
ing up  the  extreme  rear  was  a  cavalcade  of  about  twenty 
men  mounted  on  ponies,  horses,  mules  or  burros.  They 
had  improvised  bridles  of  lariat  ropes.  I  inquired  where 
they  got  their  mounts,  and  they  claimed  to  have  found 
them  loose  and  picked  them  up  as  strays  and  thought 
they  had  a  right  to  them.  I  told  them  that  ranchmen 
had  stock  all  over  this  country;  all  of  them  were  branded; 
this  was  a  public  pasture,  and  to  take  an  animal  from  it 
without  consulting  the  owner,  was  stealing  just  as  much 
as  was  stealing  a  horse  from  a  farm,  and  they  must  turn 
them  loose.  One  tough  fellow  said  that  the  people  in 
this  country  were  "nothing  but  a  damn  set  of  rebels 
anyhow";  to  which  I  replied  that  he  was  not  commis- 
sioned to  judge  of  the  loyalty  of  any  man,  and  if  he  did 
not  go  back  to  the  other  side  of  that  bluff  and  turn  loose 
the  horse  that  he  was  riding  and  the  pony  that  he  was 


396  ™^  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

leading  I  would  turn  him  loose  without  a  scratch  to 
show  the  amount  due  him  and  he  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  travel  with  my  party.  Turning  to  the  other 
men  I  told  them  that  my  remarks  applied  to  them  also. 
All  but  two  said  they  had  no  idea  they  were  stealing, 
and  laughingly  rode  back  and  turned  loose.  I  told  the 
two  sulky  ones  not  to  come  near  my  camp  until  they 
got  ready  to  live  up  to  my  rule.  Two  or  three  men  went 
out  and  talked  to  them,  and  they  finally  rode  around  the 
bluff  and  returned  on  foot.  This  incident  stopped  all 
lawlessness.  If  it  had  been  permitted,  all  of  the  un- 
scrupulous fellows  would  have  come  into  Leavenworth 
mounted,  and  flattered  themselves  that  they  were  brave. 

We  made  two  drives,  herding  the  mules  night  and 
day,  fed  two  quarts  of  corn  to  each  animal  to  Fort  Lyon ; 
Lyon  to  Riley  one  quart,  and  then  four  quarts  the  bal- 
ance of  the  way.  I  did  not  want  to  take  much  corn  from 
Union  or  Lyon;  nor  did  I  want  to  haul  so  much  as  to 
keep  men  from  riding.  From  Riley  east  grass  was  dead 
and  I  bought  hay. 

Where  the  Indian  camp  stood  on  the  Arkansas 
when  we  went  west  were  camped  two  companies  of  the 
Second  Colorado,  under  command  of  Captain  Scott  J. 
Anthony,  of  Denver.  The  Indians  had  gone  south  for 
the  winter. 

Approaching  the  Saline  River  to  select  camp,  travel- 
ing along  the  west  bank  was  an  immense  flock  of  wild 
turkeys.  I  got  out  with  my  shotgun  and  killed  two,  and 
the  others  did  not  fly;  did  not  seem  to  know  what  it  was 
all  about,  and  I  killed  one  with  my  pistol.     They  ran  and 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  397 

fluttered  along  into  the  thick  timheT  where  they  roosted. 
After  we  were  camped,  men  got  after  them  and  one  Ger- 
man, who  had  a  double-barreled  shotgun,  killed  a  dozen. 
The  weather  was  cold  and  I  kept  my  largest  one  until  I 
got  home,  November  17th. 

In  the  1,500  mile  round  trip  with  more  than  250 
men,  representing  all  classes,  with  no  doctor,  dependent 
upon  the  box  of  medicines  that  my  friend  Dr.  Samuel 
Phillips  put  up  for  me,  without  the  loss  of  a  man  by  de- 
sertion or  illness,  with  no  serious  illness  or  other  inability 
to  perform  hard  duty,  we  made  the  return  trip  from  Union 
to  Leavenworth  in  thirty-one  days — more  than  twenty- 
four  miles  per  day — half  of  the  way  on  foot.  The  cold 
weather  was  upon  us;  we  were  all  anxious  to  get  home, 
and  there  was  no  complaint.  I  came  in  two  days  ahead 
of  my  party. 

Again  my  vanity  prompts  me  to  challenge  compari- 
son with  anyone  who  has  ever  traversed  the  Great  Plains 
with  horses  or  mules.  Five  or  ten  per  cent,  of  loss  was 
not  unusual,  but  here  we  sent  614  horses  550  miles  and 
510  horses  more  than  200  miles  farther,  and  534  mules 
752  miles,  and  return  two  horses  and  eighty-one  mules 
with  a  loss  of  but  three  horses  and  four  mules,  and  250 
men  return  in  perfect  health,  after  more  than  two  months 
of  out-door  exposure  and  hard  work,  and  no  sickness. 

But  the  merit  of  my  trip,  if  any  be  due,  lies  in  the 
safe  delivery  of  so  many  animals  at  the  end  of  so  long  a 
journey  with  so  little  loss,  and  a  bill  of  health  unparal- 
leled for  that  length  of  time  with  that  number  of  men. 
With  few  exceptions,  wherever  I  have  met  one  of  these 


398  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

men  I  have  felt  no  hesitancy  in  recommending  him.  Men 
who  could  work  so  hard  and  faithfully  without  any  pre- 
vious discipline  can  he  trusted  anywhere.  Most  of  the 
men  entered  trains  and  continued  in  Government  employ 
without  losing  time,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  placing 
many  of  them  in  good  positions.  Three  men  of  this  par- 
ty served  with  me  in  the  First  Dragoons — Mr.  William  P. 
Drummond,  who  was  a  sergeant  in  my  (B)  troop,  was  this 
trip  in  charge  of  a  horse-string.  Warren  Kimball  (since 
dead),  who  joined  me  as  a  recruit,  and  Mr.  James  H.  Bed- 
dow,  whom  I  knew  in  K  Troop,  and  who  is  now  and  has 
been  ever  since  he  returned  with  me  from  New  Mexico, 
an  employee  of  the  quartermaster's  department,  now  and 
for  many  years,  having  police  supervision  of  the  Fort 
Leavenworth  military  reservation  and  wearing  the  star  of 
deputy  United  States  marshal — universally  respected  for 
his  long  and  faithful  service.     He  is  now  80  years  old. 

Probably  thirty  men  of  my  party  had  been  with  me 
on  other  trips,  and  to  them  I  was  indebted  for  much  of 
the  good  order  and  discipline. 


PART   X. 

I  CONTINUED  in  Government  transportation  busi- 
ness until  the  spring  of  1863,  when  I  went  east 
and  while  in  Washington,  by  permission  of  Mr. 
Stanton,  the  Secretary  of  War,  visited  my  brother,  Prof. 
T.  S.  C.  Lowe,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  Balloon 
Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  I  joined  him  at 
Falmouth  just  before  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  and 
remained  until  it  was  over.  A  friend  loaned  me  a 
good  horse  and  I  renewed  my  acquaintance  with  sev- 
eral officers  who  had  risen  from  minor  rank  when  I 
knew  them  on  the  Plains,  to  be  general  officers.  I  was 
at  Gen.  Sedgwick's  headquarters  the  evening  before  he 
with  his  6th  Corps  captured  the  heights  of  Fredericks- 
burg— called  the  second  battle  of  Fredericksburg — and 
saw  all  the  movements  of  his  Corps  to  the  end  of  the  re- 
treat of  Gen.  Hooker's  Army.  Keturning  home  I  was 
sent  by  Gen.  Easton  on  transportation  business  to  Fort 
Scott  and  returned  to  Fort  Leavenworth  with  600  head  of 
"contraband"  cattle.  It  was  a  notorious  fact  that  of 
thousands  of  head  gathered  at  or  near  Fort  Scott,  this  lot 
was  the  first  to  be  saved  to  the  Government,  all  others 
having  been  "lost  or  strayed"  or  appropriated  by  patriots. 
It  wouldn  't  do  to  say  that  a  man  who  loved  his  country 
would  steal  anything  captured  from  the  enemy,  or  that 
the  sole  object  in  capturing  was  to  open  the  way  to  steal  it. 

399 

26- 


400  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

En  route  back  to  Fort  Leavenworth  I  stopped  in  the 
south  edge  of  Lawrence  over  night  where  I  hired  a  corral 
of  a  milkman  named  Palmer,  who  was  killed  the  following 
night  in  the  Quantrell  Raid.  I  crossed  the  stock  over  the 
Kaw  in  the  morning  and  rode  home.  A  man  by  my  name 
was  killed  in  the  Eaid  and  my  friends  thought  I  was  the 
victim — 'twas  a  narrow  escape. 

The  horse  and  mule  trade  at  Fort  Leavenworth  was 
immense' and  in  the  fall  of  1863  I  left  Government  em- 
ployment to  become  a  contractor.  My  records  of  business 
transacted  in  horses  and  mules  forage  and  freighting  in 
1863-4-5-6  were  in  a  ware  house  vault  belonging  to  me 
and  weTe  all  consumed  in  a  fire  in  1880  and  I  must  refer 
to  business  from  memory.  The  late  L.  T.  Smith  was  my 
partner  in  many  contracts  for  horses,  mules,  hay  and  corn 
on  which  we  made  much  money.  Mr.  J.  S.  Rice  was  my 
partner  in  a  large  ox  train  freighting  to  Fort  Halleck. 
In  1866  Mr.  Alanzo  Huckins  became  my  partner  in  the 
mule  trade.  We  built  large  corrals  and  handled  many 
mule9.  Nearly  all  the  mules  used  by  Shoemaker,  Miller 
&  Co.  in  constructing  the  Eastern  Division  of  the  U.  P. 
Road  were  furnished  by  us.  We  furnished  hundreds  of 
mules  for  Mexican  freighters  until  the  railroad  got  too 
far  west  for  the  freighters  to  come  to  the  Missouri  River. 

In  1868  I  was  the  successful  bidder  for  the  contract 
to  move  all  government  freight  from  the  end  of  the  U.  P. 
Railroad  to  New  Mexico  and  intermediate  points — from 
April,  1868,  to  April,  1869.  The  railroad  reached  Harker 
for  the  spring  movement  of  freight  and  reached  Hays  be- 
fore fall.     The  contract  was  in  my  name,  but  the  firm 


FlVa   YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  401 

name  of  the  transporters  was  Lowe,  Newman  &  Co.  I 
retained  one-fourth  interest,  Newman  &  Powers  one- 
fourth,  J.  C.  Erwin  &  Co.  one-fourth,  and  Morehead  & 
Allen  one-fourth,  and  the  contract  was  very  profitable. 
I  gave  a  bond  of  $200,000  and  my  partners  were  the 
bondsmen. 

The  following  year  April,  1869,  to  April,  1870,  the 
contract  was  in  the  name  of  Powers  and  the  firm  was 
Powers,  Otero,  Lowe  &  Co.  We  freighted  from  Harker 
to  Sill,  Hays  to  Dodge  and  Camp  Supply  and  from  Kit 
Carson  to  FoTt  Union.  Texas  fever  destroyed  1,500  cat- 
tle belonging  to  our  sub-contractors,  thereby  making 
transportation  scarce  and  high  and  there  was  no  money 
made  on  the  contract. 

In  1870  I  was  awarded  the  contract  to  move  all  Gov- 
ernment freight  from  Baxter  Springs  and  Fort  Gibson  to 
Forts  Arbuckle  and  Sill.  Mr.  Alonzo  Huckins  was  my 
partner  in  this  contract. 

The  railroads  moving  west  had  made  such  advance- 
ment that  the  Government  needed  fewer  mules,  the  Mexi- 
can and  other  trade  no  longer  came  to  the  Missouri  Eiver 
and  we  sold  our  mule-corrals  and  quit  that  branch  of  the 
business.  There  was  nothing  of  much  interest  in  the 
1870  contract  to  move  freight  except  that  there  was  little 
freight  and  it  barely  paid  expenses. 

Lowe  &  Huckins  handled  cattle  in  1871.  In  1872 
the  contracts  were  awarded  to  me  to  furnish  beef  from 
the  block  at  Forts  Leavenworth,  Lamed,  Dodge  and  Oamp 
Supply.  Mr.  "Joe"  Kirmayer  was  my  partner  at  Fort 
Leavenworth  and  filled  the  contract.     I  sub-let  the  con- 


402  FWE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

tracts  at  Larned  and  Dodge  and  they  gave  me  no  trouble 
and  some  profit.  I  gave  Mt.  Huckins  an  equal  interest 
in  my  Camp  Supply  contract — he  to  devote  his  time  to  it, 
and  we,  with  a  colored  man  named  "Elic"  Fields,  who  was 
with  me  many  years>  with  an  ambulance  and  pair  of 
horses,  guns  and  pointer  dog,  drove  from  Harker  to 
Larned  and  Dodge  where  on  account  of  hostile  Indians 
we  were  obliged  to  leave  the  ambulance,  driver,  team  and 
dog,  and  travel  with  the  mail  escort  to  Supply,  which  we 
did  and  returned  safely.  Then  we  drove  from  Dodge 
east  to  Great  Bend,  now  the  county  seat  of  Barton  Coun- 
ty, Kans.,  where  I  bought  cattle,  saw  Huckins,  started 
with  herders  enough  to  handle  them,  leaving  Elic,  team, 
ambulance,  dog  and  guns  with  him,  and  returned  to  Hark- 
er by  stage  and  from  there  by  rail  home.  I  was  much 
broken  in  health  and  ought  not  to  have  made  the  trip  to 
Supply. 

And  now  follows  Mr.  Huckins*  adventures  with  the 
cattle:  He  camped  on  the  Arkansas  Kiver,  near  where 
Kinsley  now  is,  had  been  on  guard  the  last  half  of  the 
night  and  came  in  at  4  o'clock  to  rouse  the  camp.  Just 
as  he  dismounted  from  his  pony  many  shots  were  fired  in- 
to his  camp,  the  attacking  party  charging  through  it 
driving  everything  before  them  except  the  pony  from 
which  he  had  just  dismounted.  Some  shots  struck  the 
ambulance  close  to  him.  He  believed  the  attacking  party 
to  be  Indians  and  told  his  men  that  he  was  going  to  Fort 
Dodge  for  help  and  advised  them  to  care  for  themselves 
as  best  they  could.  The  rush  through  camp  was  made 
from  northeast  to  southwest — up  the  river,  and  Huckins 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  4Q3 

concluded  to  look  a  little  in  that  direction.  The  night 
was  very  dark.  About  half  a  mile  from  camp  he  saw  in 
the  dim  dawn  two  men  changing  their  saddles  to  the  ambu- 
lance team,  a  black  and  a  grey.  The  two  men  saw  Huck- 
ins  at  the  same  time,  mounted  and  charged  after  him, 
shooting  rapidly.  Huckins  urged  his  pony  in  retreat  as 
fast  as  possible  but  they  were  close  to  him  and  sending 
the  bullets  close,  but  missing.  Thinking  they  must  sure- 
ly get  him  soon  he  stopped,  faced  them  and  took  a  hand 
in  the  shooting.  At  his  first  shot  a  man  fell  from  the 
black  horse,  the  next  shot  hit  the  grey  horse  or  the  rider 
— he  did  not  know  which,  but  it  stopped  the  pursuit  and 
he  got  away.  How  manv  were  in  the  attacking  party  he 
did  not  know,  but  from  the  number  of  shots  fired  into 
camp  he  knew  there  were  more  than  these  two.  The  San- 
ta Fe  Eailway  track  was  being  graded  and  Huckins  rode 
to  Foreman  Jackson's  camp  some  miles  away,  told  Jack- 
son of  his  trouble  and  rode  on  to  Fort  Dodge.     A  troop 

of  cavalry  under  Capt.  went  with  him  and  in 

the  forenoon  the  cattle  were  all  found  with  a  man  driv- 
ing them.  He  was  confined  in  the  guard  house  a  few 
days,  claimed  that  he  found  them  and  was  going  to  take 
them  to  Dodge.  As  nothing  could  be  proven  against 
him,  he  was  released.  Foreman  Jackson,  with  a  team  and 
party  of  men  went  to  Huckins'  camp,  found  the  dead  man 
that  he  shot,  who  proved  to  be  one  of  the  white  out-laws 
who  infested  that  part  of  the  country  at  that  time,  left 
him  lying  where  he  fell  and  brought  the  ambulance,  har- 
ness, dog,  gun  and  other  equipments  to  Dodge.  "Elic" 
went  to  Boyd's  Eanch  near  Lamed  where  he  worked  sev- 


404  FIYE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

eral  months  before  returning  to  Leavenworth.  The 
other  men  found  their  way  to  Dodge.  Huckins,  with  an 
escort,  got  the  cattle  safely  to  Supply.  In  August  we 
bought  cattle  enough  to  finish  the  contract  which  Huck- 
ins  stayed  with  to  the  end  with  good  success,  for  which  he 
deserved  much  credit.  Between  hostile  Indians  and  out- 
laws 'twas  a  hard  struggle  and  a  less  nervy  man  would 
have  failed.  He  married — bought  a  farm  and  prospered, 
raised  a  good  family  and  is  now  one  of  Leavenworth's 
most  wealthy  and  respected  citizens. 

And  now  I  was  out  of  business,  broken  in  health  and 
obliged  to  rest.  My  chances  for  the  future  were  not  good. 
I  bought  property  that  I  thought  would  make  my  family 
comfortable  and  for  the  next  three  years  traveled  in 
search  of  the  health  I  had  sacrificed  in  my  efforts  to  make 
money.  I  traveled  in  Colorado,  through  Florida  and 
other  southern  states  and  gained  strength  and  usefulness. 

One  incident  of  my  travels  is  worth  mentioning: 
Mr.  Wm.  Farrell  was  my  traveling  companion.  I  knew 
that  my  captain,  under  whom  I  served  four  and  a  half 
years  was  superintendent  of  a  cotton  factory  in  Columbus, 
Ga.  He  resigned  as  pay-master  in  the  Army,  joined  the 
Confederate  Army,  was  a  general  officer  with  Gen.  Lee, 
surrendered  when  he  did,  and  like  an  honest  man  had 
gone  to  work  to  make  an  honest  living.  We  would  pass 
through  Columbus  and  this,  in  all  probability  would  be 
my  only  chance  to  see  him  again.  I  told  Mr.  Farrell  and 
he  said  "stop  off  and  make  the  call  by  all  means."  Our 
train  arrived  in  Columbus  in  the  night,  we  went  to  the 
hotel  and  after  breakfast  called  at  General  Chilton's  office 


k 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  405 

in  town.  He  had  not  yet  arrived  from  home  three  miles 
up  the  river  where  his  factory  was  and  where  he  lived 
The  office  boy  looked  at  the  clock  and  said  the  General 
would  be  in  the  office  in  five  minutes.  He  might  come 
sooner  but  not  later.  It  dawned  on  me  that  he  was  liv- 
ing up  to  his  old  habits.  Sure  enough  he  came  in  on  the 
minute,  said  "Good  morning,  gentlemen/'  and  moved  to- 
wards us  pulling  off  his  gloves.  I  immediately  stood  "at 
attention"  and  returned  his  salutation  by  saying  "Good 
morning,  Gen.  Chilton."  He  looked  sharply  at  me,  shook 
my  hand  and  said:  "You  have  the  advantage  of  me,  sir." 
"Yes,  General,"  said  I;  "I  expected  that  I  would  have, 
twenty  years  is  a  long  time."  "Yes,"  said  he,  "twenty 
years  of  hard  work."  He  sat  down  and  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands.  Then  noticing  that  I  still  stood  "to  at- 
tention," he  said  "Please  be  seated,"  and  looked  search- 
ingly  at  me,  when  I  said  "Well,  General,  you  don't  know 
me?"  He  stood  up,  took  both  of  my  hands  in  his  and 
said:  "Yes,  I  do  know  all  about  you.  You  are  my  old 
first  sergeant."  I  introduced  Mr.  Farrell  who  had  been 
much  interested  in  our  meeting, — in  short  I  explained 
why  we  stopped  off  and  that  we  would  continue  our  jour- 
ney that  night.  The  General  gave  Mr.  Farrell  a  note  to 
the  superintendent  of  a  factory  who  would  pass  him  along 
to  the  next  and  so  on,  and  took  me  in  his  buggy,  telling 
Mr.  Farrell  that  we  would  not  be  much  company  for  him 
as  we  would  talk  of  things  in  which  he  would  feel  no  in- 
terest. Up  the  river  three  miles  we  drove  and  he  ex- 
plained that  when  the  War  closed  he  had  nothing  and  no 
employment  with  which  to  support  his  family.     The  cot- 


406  FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

ton  mills  had  been  burned  and  there  was  nothing  left  but 
the  water  power  and  burned  and  warped  machinery.  The 
company  owning  the  water  power  offered  him,  to  take 
charge  of  the  property,  a  home  to  live  in,  small  salary  and 
an  interest  in  any  business  that  he  could  build  from  the 
wreck.  He  found  a  circular  saw,  fixed  up  the  water 
power  to  run  it,  sawed  lumber,  soon  started  spindles  to 
make  thread,  which  he  peddled  about  town  to  get  money 
to  go  on  with.  In  short  from  these  ruins  he  had  built  a 
first  class  factory  of  152  looms  and  was  continually  adding 
to  it.  He  had  a  mill  for  grinding  wheat  and  corn,  bought 
wheat  and  corn  by  the  car  load  when  he  needed  it,  had  a 
complete  commissary  department,  tenements  for  his  em- 
ployees, employed  the  poor  white  people  who  were  in  great 
distress  throughout  the  country,  furnished  them  provis- 
ions at  the  retail  price  in  Columbus,  and  paid  cash  for 
everything.     At  his  home  he  was  very  comfortable. 

I  had  been  looking  at  a  picture  of  Gen.  Lee  when 
turning  to  Gen.  C.  I  said,  that  it  was  reported  and  gener- 
ally believed  in  the  North  that  when  Gen.  Stuart  cap- 
tured Gen.  Pope's  headquarters  and  his  famous  order 
"Headquarters  in  the  Saddle"  he  brought  the  order  to 
Gen.  Lee  who  remarked:  "That  is  the  first  time  I  ever 
heard  of  a  man's  headquarters  being  where  his  hind  quar- 
ters ought  to  be."  Gen.  C.  replied :  "No,  Gen.  Lee  nev- 
er said  that.  He  could  not  have  said  it — there  was  no 
levity  about  him — he  was  at  all  times  dignified.  I  was 
adjutant-general  and  Stuart  brought  the  order  to  me  and 
said:  "By  the  way,  Chilton,  that  is  the  first  time  I  ever 
heard  of  a  man's  headquarters  being  where  his  hind  quar- 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON.  407 

ters  ought  to  be."  It  sounded  like  Stuart  who  saw  the 
ridiculous  side  of  everything.  This  version  of  the  "Head- 
quarters in  the  Saddle"  incident  may  be  accepted  as  true 
history.  No  one  who  ever  knew  Gen.  Chilton  will  doubt  it 
for  a  moment.  The  General  returned  me  to  Columbus  and 
we  parted  never  to  meet  again,  after  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting days  of  my  life.  He  was  exceedingly  interested 
in  what  I  could  tell  him  about  the  members  of  the  troop 
and  at  that  time  I  knew  of  but  four  living,  more  than 
half  of  them  had  been  killed  by  Indians  or  overtaken  by 
violent  death  in  other  ways. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  the  quartermaster  at  Fort 
Leavenworth  employed  me  to  act  as  guide  in  chaining 
the  Santa  Fe  trail  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Union, 
New  Mexico.  I  was  out  of  business,  my  family  and  prop- 
erty in  good  shape,  and  it  would  be  a  pleasure  trip  for 
which  I  would  be  well  paid  and  I  ought  to  be  much 
improved  in  health  by  it.  We  chained  by  Council  Grove, 
and  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  via  Raton  route,  752  miles 
to  Union.  Returning  we  chained  from  Fort  Riley  to 
Fort  Leavenworth.  Lieutenant  Borden,  Fifth  Infantry, 
was  in  charge  of  the  party  and  the  trip  was  pleasant 
and  uneventful — no  hostile  Indians  or  other  trouble.  I 
made  my  report  and  was  discharged  the  1st  of  October. 

Some  friends  of  mine  had  taken  the  contract  to 
furnish  beef  for  the  Sioux,  Cheyenne  and  Arapaho  In- 
dians at  Red  Cloud  and  Spotted  Tail  agencies  in  north- 
west Nebraska,  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1877.  I 
do  not  need  to  go  into  details  about  the  trouble  in  the 
firm  that  lead  up  to  my  employment.     I  was  chosen  to 


408  FiyE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

go  upon  the  ranges,  take  an  account  of  cattle  and  other 
property  and  report,  which  I  agreed  to  do  on  condition 
that  I  should  not  he  more  than  a  month  about  it.  1 
arrived  at  Sidney,  Neb.,  where  I  was. to  meet  the  man- 
ager on  the  16th  of  October,  who  was  to  show  me  every- 
thing. But  he  did  not  meet  me.  I  took  stage  to  Red 
Cloud  agency — 120  miles — went  with  Indian  Commis- 
sioners Daniels  &  Howard,  with  Spotted  Tail  chief  and 
two  scouts — Gruard  and  Battese — to  Spotted  Tail  agency 
and  returned  to  Red  Cloud,  met  one  of  the  company's 
foremen  from  whom  I  learned  much,  went  to  his  camp 
fifteen  miles,  to  another  camp  fifteen  more  and  to  a 
third  camp  ten  miles,  three  gangs  of  men.  I  appointed 
a  day  to  round  up  the  cattle  and  found  about  6,000, 
whereas  the  foreman  referred  to  said  there  should  have 
been  10,000  and  that  at  least  4,000  were  on  a  rancti 
owned  by  the  said  manager.  About  500  head  were  re- 
quired every  ten  days,  so  that  by  the  end  of  June  12,000 
would  be  needed  if  none  were  winter  killed  and  prob- 
ably many  would  be.  I  learned  everything  that  I  could, 
reported  by  letter  and  asked  the  firm  to  send  a  suitable 
manager  at  once  to  relieve  me.  They  promised  but  no  one 
came,  and  it  was  the  middle  of  the  next  July,  after  eight 
months  of  struggle  including  a  bitter  cold  winter,  dur- 
ing which  I  furnished  more  than  12,000  cattle  for  the 
Sioux,  Cheyenne  and  Arapaho  Indians,  more  than  6,000 
of  which  I  bought  along  the  North  Platte  and  about 
Fort  Laramie.  I  was  warmly  thanked  and  fairly  well 
paid  by  my  friends  and  roundly  cursed  by  the  other 
parties. 


FIVE  YEARS  A  DRAGOON.  409 

The  incidents  of  interest  in  the  eight  months  of  my 
stay  in  that  country  would  fill  a  volume  if  handled  by 
a  good  writer,  but  most  of  my  data  was  destroyed  by  fire 
and  I  don't  care  to  write  about  it. 

I  employed  Mr.  Fielder  Philips  to  buy  cattle  for 
me  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Laramie  where  he  had  a  ranch. 
He  bought  2,140  head  and  I  was  daily  expecting  a  mes- 
sage from  him  informing  me  that  the  cattle  were  ready, 
and  had  sent  a  party  of  men  to  take  charge  of  them.  I 
needed  the  cattle  and  sent  "Elic"  Adam,  my  Indian  ser- 
vant and  traveling  companion,  with  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Philips.  I  gave  him  two  ponies  to  ride,  turn  about.  He 
left  me  at  8  a.  m.,  with  instructions  to  deliver  the  let- 
ter that  night.  It  was  81^  miles  from  where  he  left  me 
at  Red  Cloud  Agency  to  Laramie.  My  letter  to  Mr. 
Philips  requested  him  to  exchange  ponies  with  "Elic," 
giving  him  fresh  ones  to  return  on,  and  expected  him 
to  sleep  at  Laramie  and  return  the  next  day.  The  next 
morning  at  8  o'clock — twenty-four  hours  after  leaving 
me — here  came  "Elic"  with  a  letter  from  Mr.  Philips. 
He  had  delivered  my  letter  at  7  p.  m.,  eleven  hours  after 
leaving  me.  Mr.  Philips  gave  him  supper  and  lunch  and 
two  fresh  ponies  with  instructions  to  deliver  letter  to  me 
by  8  a.  m.  the  next  day,  which  he  did.  This  faithful; 
untiring,  full-blood  Sioux  had  traveled  on  four  ponies 
163  miles  in  twenty-four  hours  without  sleep.  No  one 
can  dispute  the  distance — it  has  been  measured  by  army 
officers  and  is  80  miles  between  Camp  Robinson  and 
Laramie  and  it  is  1J  miles  from  Robinson  to  the  agency. 
The  road  was  quite  straight  and  he  could  not  save  dis- 


410  FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOON. 

tance  by  short  cuts  —  twenty  miles  of  it  was  deep 
sand.  Now  let  the  long  riders  with  their  fine  horses 
come  in  and  claim  something  better.  In  half  an  hour 
after  he  had  returned  he  was  in  my  buggy  with  me  on 
the  way  back  to  Laramie,  where  we  arrived  the  next  day 
at  noon.  He  did  good  sleeping  in  the  buggy.  When  I 
sent  this  man  with  the  letter  I  knew  he  would  deliver 
it  before  he  sleot.  When  Philips  started  him  back  he 
knew  that  I  would  get  the  letter  in  twelve  hours.  He 
could  not  speak  English  but  could  understand  a  little 
and  I  could  squeeze  out  a  little  Dakota.  For  seven 
months  he  was  to  me  all  that  an  honest,  faithful  servant 
could  be.  When  I  left  that  country  I  parted  with  him 
with  deep  regret.  He  was  one  of  the  most  interesting 
men  I  ever  met,  this  poor  benighted  Sioux. 

I  returned  home  determined  that  this  should  be  my 
last  taste  of  wild  life — I  would  henceforth  devote  myself 
to  my  family.  I  left  a  good  home  and  my  good  wife 
had  managed  the  two  sons  and  two  daughters  as  few 
mothers  could.  Somehow  I  seemed  to  be  always  plung- 
ing into  some  hard  task  and  I  determined  to  resist  every 
temptation  and  live  quietly. 

I  served  in  the  city  council  from  1868  to  1870  as 
its  president — 1876  was  again  made  president  and  re- 
signed without  serving  because  of  absence  from  home — 
and  now  at  the  fall  election  of  1877  I  was  elected  sheriff 
of  Leavenworth  County  and  re-elected  two  years  later, 
serving  four  years,  the  limit  allowed  by  law.  In  1885  was 
elected  State  Senator  and  served  during  three  sessions 
of  the  Legislature.    I  served  on  the  Leavenworth  school 


FIVE  TEARS  A  DRAGOOX.  411 

board  by  appointment,  declining  election;  was  appointed 
police  commissioner  by  Governor  Humphrey,  serving  as 
secretary  of  the  board  one  and  a  half  years. 

My  sons  graduated  at  Pennsylvania  Military  College, 
my  daughters  at  Brook  Hall,  Media,  Pa.  My  eldest  son 
is  commandant  of  cadets  at  the  Western  Military  Acad- 
emy, Upper  Alton,  111.  He  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  law 
department  of  Washington  University,  St.  Louis.  The 
other  son  is  retired  as  a  captain  in  the  regular  army. 
My  eldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of  Major  L.  S.  McCor- 
mack  of  the  Seventh  United  States  Cavalry,  and  the 
other  the  wife  of  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Wilson,  of  the  Great 
Western  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Leavenworth. 

My  dear  wife  died  March  5th,  1905,  and  is  buried 
in  the  National  Cemetery  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  where 
I  will  join  her  in  the  near  future.  A  more  lovable  woman, 
a  purer  or  more  gentle  wife,  a  more  sweet  and  kindly 
mother  I  never  knew.  She  made  my  family  and  home 
all  that  I  could  hope  for,  and  brightened  my  pathway 
for  nearly  forty-four  years. 

She  was  educated  at  the  Liberty,  Missouri,  Female 
Academy,  under  the  tutelage  of  Prof,  and  Mrs.  James 
Love.  She  possessed  a  remarkably  good  mind  and  was 
blessed  with  superior  intelligence  and  refined  tastes. 

"I  thank  my  God  upon  every  remembrance  of  you. ' 


INDEX 


PART  1. 

Early  adventures. — Newsboy  and  sailor. — Enlist  in  Bos- 
ton.— Thence  to  Carlisle  and  adventures  there. — Carlisle  to 
Fort  Leavenworth  by  rail;  by  canal-boats;  by  steam-boats 
and  on  foot. — Arrival  at  Port  Leavenworth  on  Christmas 
day,  1849;  winter  there  and  description  of  the  Fort  as  it 
was  at  that  time. 

PART  2. 
Major  Ogden  and  the  new  road  from  Fort  Leavenworth 
to  Fort  Kearney,  where  we  joined  B  Troop,  First  Dragoons. 
— Fort  Kearney  and  war  with  the  Pawnee  Indians. — Pursuit 
of  the  Pawnees. — The  chief  a  prisoner. — Meeting  the  Chey- 
ennes. — Return  to  Fort  Kearney  and  "big  talk"  with  the 
Pawnees. — Move  to.  Fort  Leavenworth  and  winter  there. — 
Capture  and  imprisonment  of  four  Kaw  chiefs. — Promotion. 
— Escort  of  Paymaster  Macklin  to  Forts  Kearney  and  Lar- 
amie.— Camp  Macklin. — Pursuit  of  stray  mules  and  hor- 
rors of  a  night  in  the  Sioux  camp. — Return  to  Fort  Leav- 
enworth.— Return  of  troop  from  relief  of  Fort  Adkinson. — 
Troops  to  Fort  Laramie. — Adjutant- General  Cooper. — Colonel 
George  Knapp,  B.  Gratz  Brown,  and  the  Missouri  Republican. — 
Sioux,  Cheyennes.  Arapahoes. — Major  "Jim"  Bridger  and  the 
Snakes. — The  fierce  Sioux. — The  intrepid  interpreter. — Cool- 
ness of  the  Snake  chief  and  great  confidence  of  his  people. — 
Treaty  at  the  mouth  of  Horse  Creek. — Sixty  thousand  In- 
dians.— Composure  and  fine  character  of  Snake  Indians. — 
Return  to  Fort  Leavenworth  and  winter  there. — Pottawato- 
mie Indian  payment  at  Uniontown. — More  than  3,100  miles 
on  one  horse  in  seven  months. 

413 


414  INDEX. 

PART  3. 

Major  Chilton  on  leave. — Lieutenant  Hastings  in  command 
of  troop. — Sergeant  Hooper  leaves  the  troop. — Sergeant  Cud- 
dy and  his  escort  for  the  paymaster  to  Laramie  and  return 
to  the  troop  on  the  Arkansas. — Victims  of  whiskey. — Pro- 
motion.— Campaign  along  the  Santa  Fe  Trail  in  1852. — In- 
dians attack  trains. — Captain  Buckner  and  Company  D,  6th 
Infantry. — Hard  duty  and  constant  vigilance. — Shooting  into 
Indian  camp. — Indians  vanish  during  night. — Lodge  poles  for 
fuel. — Major  Chilton  returns  and  takes  command. — Hunters 
to  "Angel  Spring." — Kill  buffalo  and  are  chased  by  Indians. 
— Return  to  Fort  Leavenworth. — Plenty  of  buffalo  en  route. — 
Major  Chilton  escorts  Major  Ogden  to  locate  new  post,  after- 
wards named  Fort  Riley. — Pleasant  trip  and  plenty  of  tur- 
key.)— Comfortable  winter. — Company  courts-martial. — Com- 
pany library  and  its  great  benefit. — Son  of  a  United  States 
senator  a  soldier. — Campaign  of  1853  along  the  Santa  Fe 
Trail. — Fort  Adkinson  abandoned  and  camp  on  Walnut  Creek 
.established. — Sergeant  Cook  kills  Osages. — Major  Chilton  and 
Satanta. — Major  Fitzpatrick  and  distribution  of  presents  to 
Kiowas,  Comanches  and  Apaches. — Destruction  of  Fort  Ad- 
kinson buildings. — Sod  walls,  fleas  and  demoralized  cats. — 
Extreme  hardships  of  the  summer. — Big  timber  and  return 
on  trail  toward  Fort  Leavenworth. — Capture  of  Osages. — 
Fighting  fire  at  Diamond  Springs. — Capture  of  Kaw  chief. 
— Winter  at  Fort  Leavenworth. — Purchase  of  new  horses. — 
Management  and  feed. 

PART  4. 

Campaign  to  New  Mexico. — Trouble  with  Kiowas.— 
Stampede  on  the  Arkansas. — Route  by  Raton  Mountains. — 
Arrived  at  Fort  Union. — Furlough  to  end  of  enlistment. — 
Farewell  to  the  troop. — Return  with  Colonel  Cook's  com- 
mand to  Fort  Leavenworth. — Employed  in  Quartermaster's 
Department  as  wagonmaster;    post  wagonmaster. 


